Since July 13, the 160,000 SAG-AFTRA actors have been on strike. Discover the consequences on the shooting of future films.
Hollywood is on strike! SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild ‐ American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the American professional union which represents 160,000 actors and actresses, officially announced its strike on July 13th.
He joins the movement launched two months ago by the WGA (Writers Guild of America, the union of American screenwriters), which had already tried in vain for a new agreement with the AMPTP (the Alliance of film and television producers).
A strike symbolically launched by the cast of Christopher Nolan Oppenheimer’s film, in theaters on July 19. Upon announcement, Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Florence Pugh who presented the film in London, left the red carpet.
The two unions are demanding a revaluation of rights and working conditions as well as an increase in wages. Comedian Fran Drescher (Nanny from Hell), President of the union, said the actors “were victims of a greedy entity” and said she was shocked by “how the people we work with treat us“.
She adds : “SAG-AFTRA negotiated in good faith and was eager to reach an agreement that sufficiently addressed the needs of performers, but AMPTP’s responses to the union’s most important proposals have been insulting and disrespectful to our massive contributions to this industry.
SAG-AFTRA had not gone on strike since 1980.
After the various shoots postponed due to the writers’ strike (Thunderbolts, Blade, Avatar 3.4…), the films in production are also on hold. The actors must indeed respect the directives of the union, in particular those not to shoot and not to participate in the promotion of films. The feature films planned for this summer, like Disney’s Haunted Mansion, will therefore not be highlighted by the actors.
Many studios, like Warner Bros. are currently in the middle of thinking about a possible postponement of dates for their end-of-year blockbusters. Thus, Dune 2, Aquaman 2 or even The color purple could be postponed to 2024.
NB: this article will be updated regularly.
Gladiator 2
The filming of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 was one of the first to be halted by the strike. The feature film, which takes place years after the first opus, was halfway through its production in Morocco.
Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington are among the cast. Production was already halted in June after an accident resulted in the hospitalization of several team members.
The film is announced in our theaters for November 20, 2024.
Deadpool 3
Filming since the end of May, Deadpool 3 by Shawn Levy is now on hold. The many filming photos of the film unveiled last week had teased Wolverine’s new costume and some of the film’s sets.
It will therefore be necessary to wait to find Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. For the moment, the release date is still announced as May 1, 2024, but the latter could be modified depending on the duration of the strike, undermining the all-out plan of the MCU boss.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2
While the first part has been in theaters for a short time, the sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, already announced on June 26, 2024, may well be delayed.
Filming was already on hiatus to allow Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, director r Christopher McQuarrie and crew to promote Part 1.
The resumption of filming is therefore no longer relevant.
Venom 3
The production of the Sony/Marvel film, Venom 3 which had started in Spain at the end of June under the direction of Kelly Marcel, also stopped on the evening of July 13. This third installment will again feature Tom Hardy alongside, this time, Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor. No release date was yet scheduled.
Wicked Part 1
Ariana Grande is going to have to keep her blonde hair color a bit longer… The filming of Wicked Part 1 by Jon M. Chu, in which the singer plays Glinda, has come to a halt.
The website TMZ also posted photos of totally abandoned filming locations the day after the strike. To date, Wicked part 1 is scheduled in our cinemas for December 4, 2024.
Mortal Kombat 2
The shooting of the sequel to the martial arts film Mortal Kombat, released in 2021 and then impacted by the closure of theaters due to the Covid, has stopped.
Simon McQuoid’s film starring Karl Urban, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph and Lewis Tan was filming in Australia.
No release date has yet been announced for Mortal Kombat 2.
Beetlejuice 2
Filming in the UK, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice 2 has also been put on hiatus. Worn by Jenna Ortega, whose first photos we recently revealed to you in the role of Lydia’s daughter, Winona Ryder reprising her role, Michael Keaton and Monica Bellucci, the feature film should be released in our theaters on September 11, 2024.
It Ends with us
This is the film that was to mark the return of Blake Lively to the cinema… The adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends with us saw its filming be stopped. Announced for early 2024, the film could well be delayed.
The story follows Lily, a young woman who had a difficult childhood who decides to embark on the adventure of entrepreneurship by opening a flower shop. While she meets Ryle, a very attractive man, who has everything to please and with whom she quickly falls in love, her first love reappears in her life.
Dirty Dancing 2
Jonathan Levine’s Dirty Dancing 2 starring Jennifer Gray release date shifted due to double strike. The film written by Elizabeth Chomko, Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis is scheduled for release in summer 2025 instead of February 2024.
White Bird: A Wonder Story
Announced on August 25 in the United States, White Bird: A Wonder Story by Marc Forster has just been postponed to a later date by Lionsgate. Spin-off of Stephen Chbosky’s film, Wonder, released in 2017, the film is adapted from the children’s book by RJ Palacio.
It follows Julian Albans, a tyrannical 11-year-old boy, who receives a visit from his grandmother from Paris. She will tell him her story when France was occupied by the Nazis and try to show him how kindness and benevolence are important values and how they saved her during the war. The film is worn by Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson and Bryce Gheisar. No date was announced for France.