Writers strike delays filming on The Batman Part II

At the moment, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is over a month into a strike; the writers want more equitable pay, better working conditions, regulations on the use of AI, and more. On the other side of the table is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who have as yet refused to reopen negotiations. But the longer the strike goes on, the more the pressure builds.

For one thing, without writers writing, more and more shows and movies keep getting delayed. Things are are stalled on the fifth season of Stranger Things, the second season of Severance, and season 2 of The Last of Us. Disney is putting off production on Blade and Thunderbolts. Just today, we heard that production on The Batman Part II is getting pushed to next year, whereas it was originally going to start later this year. Sony wants to make another Spider-Man movie with Tom Holland, but that’s on hold until the strike is resolved. And this is just going to keep happening.

Things are about to get more complicated as the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) enter into negotiations with the AMPTP this month. If those unions also go on strike, Hollywood could lose access to writers, directors and actors, which means no movement on anything.

Following WGA recommendation, Netflix shareholders vote against raising pay for top executives

The last time there was a writers strike back in 2007 and 2008, the AMPTP cut a separate deal with the directors union that included some but not all of the writers demands, which led to the fizzling of the WGA strike. In a recent letter, the WGA called this a “divide and conquer” strategy, and encouraged increased solidarity this time around.

It’s true that the unions seem more united this time around, with directors and actors showing up to support the writers and vice versa. Politicians are making their voices heard, as well; Deadline reports that a group of legislators from New York signed a letter to the AMPTP encouraging them to come back to the bargaining table. The signatories find how the studios compensate writers “distasteful” and remind them of how much they benefit from tax credits, implying that such incentives could be at risk if the AMPTP doesn’t negotiate with the writers in good faith. Considering how Hollywood loves to set movies and shows in New York City, that might scare the AMPTP into action.

Another bit of pressure: in a rare move, Netflix shareholders rejected new proposed pay packages for top-level Netflix executives Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and Greg Peters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Notably, this came after the WGA recommended against voting for the packages. The “no” vote is non-binding, so the executives could still give themselves raises if they wanted, but it would be a bad look.

According to The A.V. Club, Sarandos made around $50 million last year in salary and stocks, Hastings was expected to make some $40 million this year, and Peters expected to make $34 million. Those are already absurd sums. Is it really shocking that shareholders wouldn’t want to give even more money to the guys partially responsible for bringing production across the industry to a standstill? Less content means less reason for subscribers to keep Netflix, which means less money flowing in. Why should they be rewarded for that?

We don’t know how the strike will ultimately resolve, but things are building. Stay tuned.

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