After more than 4 months of strike, Hollywood screenwriters and producers are on the verge of reaching an agreement. A meeting, perhaps founding, in which the bosses of Warner, Disney and Netflix participated, took place in recent hours.
Have we taken a major step towards resuming the work of screenwriters, and putting an end to the upheaval in the calendar of films and series from the United States? According to the famous CNBC presenter David Faber, who cites sources close to the negotiations, authors and producers are closer than ever to an agreement to end a strike that began at the very beginning of May. A promising meeting took place yesterday, and another is expected to take place today.
Discussions between writers and producers are progressing…
The strike was called almost 5 months ago by the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA), the union representing American screenwriters in the gargantuan entertainment industry, after reaching a point of no return with the AMPTP, the group which represents around 350 major studios and streaming services, including Disney, Netflix and Warner.
The discussions focused on an increase in copyright, better protection of their health and their retirement, but above all recognition of their work in the face of the rise of streaming and generative AI in the sector. In mid-July, the actors joined the movement.
And imagine that the three giants we were talking about were there on Wednesday, at the start of a meeting in which representatives of the WGA and those of the AMPTP also participated. Thus, we found at the negotiating table personalities like Bob Iger, the indispensable CEO of Disney, Ted Sarandos, that of Netflix, but also David Zaslav, the president of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Universal content boss Donna Langley.
… before a final agreement reached this Thursday?
During the discussions, previously discussed topics were brought up again. The primary goal of screenwriters is to protect their resources and their income, at a time when artificial intelligence tools are invading a constantly evolving sector, whose chronology is evolving (series broadcast episode by episode, shortened seasons and others) .
David Faber explains that “ writers and producers close to agreement to end strike », referring to a possible final agreement as of this Thursday, September 21. However, he indicates that if the new negotiations fail, the strike could take another turn and stretch until the end of the year. Today’s meeting therefore promises, as you have understood, to be decisive.
Source : David Faber on X.com
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