After 2007’s Writers Guild of America Strike which lasted more than three months, the labor union representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media has once again entered a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The strike officially started at 12:01 a.m. PDT on May 2, 2023, and sees the guild pushing for viewership transparency from streaming platforms, increased wage floor, protection from mini-rooms, and the use of artificial intelligence.
Now well into the second week of the strike, writers have been picketing across Los Angeles and New York City at key media locations. The strike has also effectively shut down production on several scripted productions, while others have decided to pause production in solidarity.
Some more notable titles affected include Netflix’s Stranger Things, Apple TV+’s Loot, and Marvel Studios‘ Blade. Stranger Things‘ creators Matt and Ross Duffer shared that production on the fifth and final season of the Netflix series has been delayed, while pre-production has been shut down on Blade, starring Mahershala Ali, ahead of the start of filming. Apple TV+’s Loot, starring and executive produced by Maya Rudolph, saw production stopped by picketers disrupting filming. George R.R. Martin also shared that the writers room for his recently announced Game of Thrones series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, was also shut down.
The more immediate effects come in the form of the abrupt pausing of Saturday Night Live‘s 48th season which was reaching its final weeks, along with the halt of late night talk shows like ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS’ Late Show With Stephen Colbert, NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, and HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.
In case you missed it, DC Studios recently shared character posters for The Flash.
