‘Stranger Things’, ‘Cobra Kai’, ‘Blade’, and More Halted by the WGA Strike
As the WGA strike hits day seven, work on big-name projects from Netflix and Marvel is coming to a halt while others continue without writers.
The first bunch of projects affected by the Writer’s Guild Association has been announced, and more will likely come as the strike progresses. Blade, which just signed on True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto to work on the troubled script, is on hold. Others that have completely stopped work are Billions, Evil, Abbott Elementary, Big Mouth, Yellowjackets, SNL, and all of late night. The Duffers halted work on Stranger Things (which was going to start filming next month).
Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 6, 2023
Work has also stopped on the final season of Cobra Kai…
We hate to strike, but if we must, we strike hard. Pencils down in the Cobra Kai writers room. No writers on set. These aren’t fun times, but it’s unfortunately necessary. The moment a fair deal is in place, we’ll get back to kicking ass. In the meantime, sending strength and… https://t.co/99UulF7HeW
— Jon Hurwitz (@jonhurwitz) May 2, 2023
Advertisement
Several projects in production now (or will soon be soon) are moving forward at their own risk. Captain America: New World Order, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Wonder Man are shooting right now without writers on hand. Thunderbolts and Deadpool 3 are set to start filming next month. Marvel is infamous for its constant script changes during production – this marks the first time they haven’t had someone or a team to write on the fly.
Rings of Power has less than a month of filming left; they’ll be doing that without J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. The cast of House of the Dragon Season 2 is filming in the UK right now. The show’s scripts are in (and final), and executive producer Ryan Condal is working in a strictly non-writing capacity. The second season of Andor is also moving forward, with showrunner Tony Gilroy also only doing non-writing duties.
There’s a risk to filming without a writer on hand. Writers are called in for everything from changes needed due to situations on location to making sure the tone of a scene makes sense and adding characters. A lot of situations can require revisions.
via Lucasfilm
What’s the WGA & Why Are They Striking?
The last time the WGA went on strike was in 2007. It lasted 100 days and cost LA $2.1 billion dollars. The lack of writers led to the cancellation of several shows and some pretty horrible partial seasons of hit shows like Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and Bones. The networks offered a lot of reality TV and game shows to fill airtime, as well as re-runs.
On Tuesday, May 2, more than 11,000 members of the Writer’s Guild Association (WGA) went on strike after contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) stalled. The members are asking for an updated pay structure for streaming shows, healthcare, requirements regarding length of employment for projects, and regulations on the use of AI. You can read the full list – with how the AMPTP has responded – here.
@franchesca_leigh It’s my very first #writersstrike so I better make it a good one. #writersstrike2023 #explainervideo #wgastrong #thebearfx #abbottelementary #streamingwars #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – Franchesca Ramsey
Since the last negotiation, streaming has become the primary way people watch shows and movies. When shows revolved around networks, seasons were typically 20 episodes. A writer’s room would be hired on for the duration – about ten or so months. Streaming has cut episodes down to 8 to 10 episodes, which cuts the length of a job. The current environment has made writers feel like they’re a disposable part of a gig economy instead of artists contributing to projects. There’s not a lot of stability, and pay has decreased by 14% over the last five years – in an industry that makes $20 billion dollars a year.
The union is asking for changes to correct that and ensure they have jobs in the future as the industry changes. A fair wage – something we all want. As the strike progresses, the AMPTP is going to try to make the writers the bad guys in this. They aren’t.
