The Writers Guild of America is currently on strike. That means thousands of Hollywood writers are no longer working, causing many shows and movies to halt production. Among other things, the writers want more competitive pay, increased job security, and limitations on the use of AI.
Latenight shows, which are often written on the day, have already gone dark. Series like Saturday Night Live, which records fresh every week, is on hiatus. As for scripted series, it’ll be a minute before we see delays, but if the strike isn’t resolved soon, delays are coming.
What sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies are being affected? Let’s run down some of the big ones.
Everything is on hold until the writers' strike is over. https://t.co/eMsTSfb0eA
— Christopher Paolini (@paolini) June 29, 2023
Eragon
Last year, we learned that Disney+ was working on an adaptation of author Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, about a young boy named Eragon who discovers a dragon egg. Naturally it hatches, and Eragon and his new dragon go on a quest to topple a fantasy tyrant.
The series is best known by the title of the first novel: Eragon, which was made into a movie in 2006. The chance to explore the whole story with a TV show is very exciting.
Unfortunately, there’s no movement on the show right now, not until the writers strike is resolved. That comes straight from Paolini, who gave fans an update on Twitter.
The Eragon show is likely in the very early stages of development. Scripts probably aren’t yet written, and obviously you can’t write scripts without writers. So here we are.
1923
Okay, let’s start with something that isn’t exactly sci-fi or fantasy but is still set in ye olden times, which is close enough: NBC Montana reports that 1923, a prequel to the hugely popular Yellowstone, has been “delayed indefinitely.”
With the original Yellowstone series in its final season, creator Taylor Sheridan is relaying on spinoffs to extend the universe. 1923 is set in…well, in 1923, and introduces us to a new generation of Duttons, namely patriarch Jacob (Harrison Ford) and matriarch Cara (Helen Mirren). Pandemics, drought, and Prohibition all plague the mountainous west that the Duttons call home.
The plan was for the second season of 1923 to wrap up the story, but with the writers strike ongoing, it’s not happening for the foreseeable future.