The Hollywood writers’ strike is heading into its third week. The other day we heard that shows like HBO’s The Batman spinoff The Penguin and Disney+’s The Mandalorian were both facing delays thanks to the strike, but studios haven’t given up in their quest to save money by squeezing writers quite yet.
The headlines have quieted somewhat though since the strike began on May 1, which is cause for concern. The more eyes on this strike, the better. Fortunately, if there’s any business that has a lot of well-known names who could throw their weight behind the striking writers, it’s the film industry.
One of the latest celebrities to make their displeasure with studios known is Neil Gaiman, author of such iconic works as The Sandman, American Gods, Coraline, Good Omens, and too many others to name.
Gaiman has had plenty of his work adapted for the screen over the years, but right now he’s having something of a TV renaissance. He’s currently a showrunner for three separate series: Good Omens and the American Gods spinoff Anansi Boys at Amazon, and The Sandman at Netflix.
Deadline reports that over 200 Writers Guild of America (WGA) members picketed outside Radio City Music Hall this week while studios kicked off their Upfronts week to woo ad buyers. Among them were Neil Gaiman, as well as Jordan Klepper, David Simon and Dave Foley.
Like George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman thinks writers mini-rooms are a terrible idea for the TV industry
“I’ve spent my life as a writer,” Gaiman told Deadline. “Right now, I’m showrunning three shows, and we need contracts. These people need contracts.”
Of the series Gaiman is running, both The Sandman and Anansi Boys are both on hold for the strike. Good Omens season 2 is still proceeding as planned, since the series was already wrapped months before the strike kicked off. “We handed [Good Omens] in at the end of March and it’ll be out July 28th,” Gaiman said.
Gaiman also took aim at mini-rooms, adding his voice to other prominent writer/producers like George R.R. Martin, who singled them out as the “most important issue” facing TV screenwriters today. Gaiman blasted “the phenomenon that they call the mini-room, where you get six or seven writers in a room for six or seven weeks and that is their involvement in a show.”
“Fundamentally it’s a flawed system and we’ll need to fix it,” he added, lest we end up with “a generation of writers who are not on set, who don’t know how to make TV.”
Good Omens season 2 is due out on July 28. The Sandman season 2 and Anansi Boys will resume production whenever the writers strike resolves.
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h/t CBR.com