Is the writers strike still going on? (Updates on the WGA strike)

Updated: Sept. 27, 2023 – The writers strike is over! Picketing had been suspended on Sunday, Sept. 24. Now, the governing bodies of the union have agreed that writers can now resume work as the tentative agreement between the WGA and the AMPTP is in the process of being ratified by the members of the union. You can read a summary of the agreement, here. The SAG-AFTRA strike, however, is still ongoing. The AMPTP has yet to return to the table to negotiate an agreement with the union.

For Hidden Remote’s coverage of the historic strike, keep reading.

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The WGA strike (also known as the writers strike) has been in full swing since the Basic Agreement’s contract between the Writers Guild of America and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expired on May 1, 2023.

The two groups, one an organization that represents writers in the entertainment industry and the other which represents the production companies they work for, couldn’t come to a consensus on compensation including residuals, the future of writers rooms, the creeping threat of artificial intelligence, and more. You can read a full breakdown, here.

As such, the industry has been steadily grinding to a halt as productions are delayed due to the lack of writers or because of picketing that’s interrupted shooting. Award shows have been affected as have daytime and late night talks shows which won’t be airing new episodes until the strike is over or, in the case of the late night programs, if the situation becomes financially rough for crew members who are not writers.

When will the writers strike end?

The WGA and AMPTP have entered a tentative agreement on Sunday, Sept. 24 after a weekend spent negotiating the contract. The WGA negotiating committee must now vote on whether to recommend the agreement. If they do, it’ll be sent to the WGAW Board and the WGAE Council for approval. The vote has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The board and council are also the bodies of the organization that would need to vote to allow WGA members to resume their duties during the ratification vote. The strike won’t end until an affirmative vote has been made, however, picketing has been suspended. It could take two weeks for the vote to be ratified.

Is the writers strike still going on?

As reported by Deadline:

Sept. 25, 2023

TVLine reports that with a tentative agreement in place between the WGA and AMPTP, the following shows have tentative return dates:

• Daytime talk shows that have suspended production will likely be able to return by early October.
• Late Night talk shows could also return by early October.
• Saturday Night Live has more flexibility and could return on short notice as long as there is enough lead time. Director Liz Patrick described the show as a “light switch” production.
• Broadcast is more difficult. Their ability to produce at least five episodes of television for their series is dependent on whether writers take a week or two week Christmas break and if the SAG-AFTRA strike ends by the close of October. This, however, would be to ensure 13 episode seasons for the 2023-2024 television season. The 22 episode season has sailed unless programs are held until next fall.

Sept. 20, 2023

CEOs Bog Iger (Disney), David Zaslav (Warner Bros Discovery), Donna Langley (Universal), and Ted Sarandos (Netflix) attended the scheduled talks between the AMPTP and the WGA. California governor Gavin Newsom was not in attendance.

Talks will continue on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.

Sept. 18, 2023

The decision for Real Time with Bill Maher to return is reversed. Show’s new season is postponed.

Talks between the WGA and the AMPTP will resume on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sherri Shepherd’s talk show moves forward with its new season in the face of the strikes. The star explained that due to talk shows falling under a different contract, and her show not employing WGA writers, she’s in compliance with her union SAG-AFTRA and not crossing WGA’s picket line.

Sept. 17, 2023

Drew Barrymore postpones her talk show’s return after backlash. The Talk also reverses decision to return as Jennifer Hudson’s show.

Sept. 14, 2023

Talks between the AMPTP and the WGA are to resume starting next week.

Sept. 13, 2023

Real Time with Bill Maher scheduled to begin airing new episodes on Sept. 22 without WGA writers.

Oct. 1 is posited as the new date for when the strikes need to end in order for series to return with new episodes during the 2023-2024 season. Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn put it as follows:

"On a returning show, you can really be up and running in two months. You’re going get to a point in the fall in the late fall, where it’s going to be very hard to launch within the traditional TV viewing season. If that means the show could work and succeed in the summer, great. If it’s better to wait for the fall and use football and sports… we’ll do that. You could use October 1 as the date. Every show is different but sometimes when you’re staring at a May launch date, you always wonder is that the best time."

Sept. 11, 2023

The Drew Barrymore show is picketed as it goes back into production without WGA writers.

Sept. 8, 2023

Talk arises of there being potential for companies to break from the AMPTP to make separate deals with the WGA in order to get work restarted on their company-specific projects. This is based on what union leadership had heard from executives at legacy companies who’d need deals to be made and that are willing to negotiate the WGA’s proposals. The AMPTP denied this was the case and that the member companies are aligned.

Sept. 4, 2023

The WGA releases a message on Labor Day of Negotiating Committee co-chair Chris Keyser addressing union members:

Sept. 1, 2023

Marvel delays:

• Echo – Moved to a January 2024 premiere date
• X-Men ’97 – Moved to early 2024
• Agatha: Darkhold Diaries – Moved to Fall 2024 (in time for Halloween)
• Daredevil: Born Again – Taken off the schedule, TBD premiere date
• Ironheart – Taken off the schedule, TBD premiere date
• Wonder Man – Taken off the schedule, TBD premiere date

Aug. 22, 2023

National Union Solidarity Day held in New York City. The WGA strike is on day 113 and the SAG-AFTRA strike has crossed into 40 days.

The AMPTP releases details on the “comprehensive” packaged offered to the WGA during resumed talks. The release can be read, here, in short it includes details on residuals, AI, writers rooms, and transparency on streamer metrics. In response, the WGA derided the AMPTP’s attempt to force the union’s hand by releasing details on the offer. However, they did concede progress was being made though not nearly enough. Full statement, here. No meetings were scheduled to continue talks.

Aug. 18, 2023

Talks between the WGA and AMPTP will continue into the week of Aug. 21.

Aug. 11, 2023

The AMPTP issued a counterproposal to the WGA. The union will evaluate and deliberate on what was proposed before giving their response the week of Aug. 14.

Aug. 10, 2023

The AMPTP and the WGA are set to resume talks on Friday, Aug. 11.

Aug. 9, 2023

The strike has reached it’s 100th day. Tomorrow, it will officially be the second longest strike in WGA history.

Warren Leight, the former executive producer and showrunner of Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Intent shared that the window for a 13 episode season for the broadcast shows is still open. He posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) the following:

Aug. 7, 2023

Jeopardy! season 40 will go on as planned, however, there will be significant changes. Details here.

Aug. 4, 2023

The AMPTP and the WGA didn’t reach an agreement during their Friday meeting. The strike will continue on indefinitely.

Aug. 2, 2023

Today the strike has reached the three month mark. If it surpasses 100 days, which is how long the 2007-2008 strike lasted, the 2023 writers strike will officially be the second longest WGA strike in history. The 1988 strike lasted 154 days.

July 28, 2023

Finally, after weeks of speculation, the 2023 Emmy Awards have been postponed, without a confirmed new date. Deadline has heard the ceremony will be pushed back to January 2024, but, of course, there’s no way to know when the strikes will be over. The Emmys cannot go on without writers or actors.

July 27, 2023

Netflix is in the hot seat yet again, this time after a new job posting went viral. The company is looking to hire a Product Manager to work with Machine Learning (M.L.) and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) with the range of salary being $300,000 – $900,000. Understandably, many feel this is a bad look for Netflix amid the writers strike.

July 26, 2023

Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions is one of the latest shows to be affected by the strike, as former champions have decided to boycott the show. The reason stems from the fact that they believe the show will use “recycled materials” in new episodes without writers around to create new questions.

We also got an update about soaps, with it being reported that General Hospital will start using temporary writers. Show writer Shannon Peace shared the news on her Instagram account, informing her followers that the soap will “be penned exclusively by scab writers, which is heartbreaking.”

July 23, 2023

A Song of Ice and Fire best-selling author George R.R. Martin took to his blog to share his thoughts on and support for the ongoing strikes, saying he has “a bad feeling that this strike will be long and bitter.” He also confirmed that his overall deal with HBO was suspended on June 1. As for House of the Dragon season 2, he commented on the fact that they are still filming, revealing they are halfway done.

Because the actors of House of the Dragon are part of the British trade union called Equity instead of SAG-AFTRA, they have to keep shooting. They could be fired or sued if they strike in solidarity.

July 13, 2023

SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP did not reach an agreement. The union is primed to strike, it’ll start at midnight on July 14.

July 11, 2023

Reportedly, the AMPTP aren’t open to resuming talks with the WGA until late October according to Deadline’s sources. A spokesperson for the organization refuted these claims, but the group has yet to return to the table to negotiate with the writers guild.

July 5, 2023

Permits for filming TV and movies in New York City fell sharply in June and are projected to continue to decrease due to the writers strike and an uncertainty concerning a potential actors strike (SAG-AFTRA members contracts were extended until July 12 as negotiations with the AMPTP continue).

Scripted TV shows still aren’t filming on location in Los Angeles.

July 2, 2023

The strike reaches the 60-day mark.

June 30, 2023

The AMPTP still hasn’t come back to the bargaining table with the WGA. The Los Angeles City Council approved a resolution in support of the strike and urged the studios to reach a fair agreement with the union.

June 28, 2023

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre canceled a scheduled appearance on The View out of respect for writers striking.

WGA members and supporters picked at a location for Captain America: Brave New World in Washington D.C.

June 22, 2023

Billy Crystal’s limited series, Before, has paused production until the end of the writers strike. The Apple TV+ series is about a grieving child psychiatrist, whose wife recently passed away, and comes across a troubled boy.

June 21, 2023

The Primetime Emmys, which are scheduled for Sept. 28, could be postponed if the strike continues through July and into August.

The WGA Strong March and Rally for a Fair Contract was held in Los Angeles on this date.

Sony Picture’s Spider-Man movie El Muerto, starring Bad Bunny, has been taken off the schedule. The movie remains in development but the artist’s tour schedule and the writers strike has made it difficult to pin down a release date.

June 19, 2023

Filming on 1923 season 2 has been held until the strike ends.

June 18, 2023

The Metropolis TV series won’t be moving forward. Production was meant to take place in Victoria, Australia. However, the scripts for the series weren’t finished before the start of the strike making it difficult to set budgets and other pre-production elements. The show would have been folded into Apple TV+’s roster.

June 16, 2023

Little Sky, Netflix’s first pilot, wrapped filming in New Mexico ahead of schedule due to the strike. The single camera comedy stars Samara Weaving who is also executive producing the series. The streamer reportedly made the call to pull out of production early because they were happy with the material that had been shot.

The comedy follows Penelope Paul Porter, whose lifelong dream is to be an on-air news reporter. She wants to be respected in her field even though her skill level leaves much to be desired. Going off an anonymous tip, she heads to the remote town of Little Sky to investigate the disappearance of the mayor. While there, however, Penelope’s big story snowballs into a dark tale. Turns out, little Sky is spooky.

Soap operas will continue filming even if SAG-AFTRA goes on strike. The daytime programs are currently still in production despite the writers strike because of fi-core and non-member writers, not to mention they film weeks to months ahead. The reason soap actors won’t be striking is because they are under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (also known as the Network Code). Their contracts aren’t up for negotiation again until July 2024.

It Ends With Us, the film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover books by the same name, has halted production until the end of the strike. The movie, directed by Justin Baldoni, stars the actor/director, Blake Lively, and Brandon Sklenar.

In the novel, Lily Bloom is a woman with a complicated past who falls for a neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid, while she’s living in Boston. She thinks she’s found her soulmate but when questions arise about the romance and her high school love, Atlas Corrigan, complicate matters, Lily and Ryle’s relationship is put to the test.

June 14, 2023

Production on Daredevil: Born Again and The Penguin have been halted until after the writers strike.

For the second week, there are no scripted TV productions filming on-location in Los Angeles.

June 13, 2023

More Marvel and Disney projects have been delayed due to the strike. The following movies have been pushed to new release dates:

• Deadpool 3 – May 3, 2024
• Captain America: Brave New World – July 26, 2024
• New Alien movie – Aug. 16, 2024
• The Amateur – Nov. 8, 2024
• Thunderbolts – Dec. 20, 2024
• Blade – Feb. 14, 2025
• Fantastic Four – May 2, 2025
• Moana – June 27, 2025
• Avatar 3  – Dec. 19, 2025
• Avengers: Kang Dynasty – May 1, 2026
• Untitled Star Wars movie – May 22, 2026
• Untitled Star Wars movie – Dec. 18, 2026
• Avengers: Secret Wars – May 7, 2027
• Avatar 4 – Dec. 21, 2029
• Avatar 5 – Dec. 19, 2031

June 12, 2023

Production was shut down for the day on Daredevil: Born Again. Filming on the series has repeatedly been impeded by picketing. They’re currently three months into what’s scheduled to be an eight month shooting period.

June 9, 2023

“Screenwriters Everywhere,” a global event in solidarity with the WGA strike will be held on Wednesday, June 14. Writers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Argentina, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, Denmark, South Korea, Spain, Mexico, Israel, and Ukraine will be participating.

The Television Critics Association has canceled its summer press tour. They will, however, be moving forward with its January tour.

Lionsgate has launched an investigation into an incident involving BMF line producer Ian Woolf and WGA writers Brian Egeston and Gabriel Alejandro Garza. The incident happened Thursday, June 8. Woolf allegedly used his vehicle to intimidate the writers who were standing on the sidewalk and not impeding traffic. He is accused of pointing his SUV at them, accelerating, and then abruptly hitting the breaks six feet before Egeston and Garza.

Both writers say that Woolf admitted to trying to scare them and that they have a recording of the admission and the line producer identifying himself. TV writer Tom Smuts also provided an eyewitness account, corroborated the writers’ claims, and spoke to seeing Woolf plead with Teamsters of Local 728 to cross the picket line. When they declined he attempted to do the work himself. Woolf has been suspended for the duration of the investigation. You can read more on the story, here.

June 8, 2023

The Netflix original series Zero Day, starring Roberto De Niro, has halted production due to the writers strike and the ongoing negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP. As such the cast and crew have been sent home. A concrete date for a return hasn’t been announced, however, September is reportedly being floated as a return window. The series follows De Niro’s character Mullen who is pulled out of retirement to investigate a cyber-attack that has affected the globe.

June 7, 2023

There isn’t a single scripted TV program with permits to film on-location this week in Los Angeles essentially bringing that part of the industry to a halt for the time being.

SAG-AFTRA have officially started negotiations with the AMPTP for a new TV and film contract. Their deadline to reach an agreement is June 30.

June 6, 2023

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have formally supported the WGA and are urging the AMPTP to return to the bargaining table so an agreement can be reached.

Filming on Emily in Paris season 4 has been delayed according to Variety. Production was supposed to begin in late summer or at least by early fall, and it’s been pushed back by two months. Filming is reportedly going to take place by the end of autumn.

June 5, 2023

Production on the Peacock series Hysteria! has halted until the writers strike ends. The show, which stars Julie Bowen and Anna Camp, is set in the ’80s and follows a group of teens at the height of the Satanic Panic in America. Filming had been taking place in Atlanta.

SAG-AFTRA members authorize a strike if a suitable agreement can’t be reached with the AMPTP before their June 30 contractual deadline expires.

June 4, 2023

The Director’s Guild of America (DGA) have reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP on a three year contract that includes wage increases and a 76% increase in foreign residuals for the largest platforms. The deal also includes language that confirms artificial intelligence isn’t a person cannot replace duties the members of the DGA perform. More info, here. Approval for the agreement, which is decided by the Guild’s National Board, will be determined on June 6.

June 2, 2023

Unstoppable, starring Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome, has halted production indefinitely. The film is about Anthony Robles, a 3X All-American wrestler who was born with one leg. He won the national championship at Arizona State.

May 27, 2023

While the Tony Awards are scheduled to air on June 11 and the WGA won’t be picketing the award ceremony, they have asked their members who are nominated not to attend the event. They can, however, pre-tape an acceptance speech in case they win or have a non-member receive the award on their behalf. The decision not to picket the Tonys came after Tony Awards Productions informed the association that this year’s show will be modified to adhere to requests the WGA had made.

May 26, 2023

Filming on Blade Runner 2099 could be delayed until Spring 2024. Though filming was to take place in Belfast and not the States, the effect of the strike is being felt worldwide due to the global reach of streaming TV and how many working parts depend on the WGA’s members.

HBO shows impacted by the writers strike:

• A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight – Writers room shut down
• The Last of Us season 2 – Writers room shut down, potential 2025 release window
• White Lotus season 3 – writers room shut down
• Euphoria season 3 – Sam Levinson is not writing on the series due to the strike, potential 2025 release window
• House of the Dragon season 2 – Filming is still going in the U.K. Any rewrites and/or reshoots will occur after the strike.

May 25, 2023

Duster has officially shut production down until after the strike.

During a Q&A after a quarterly earnings call, Lionsgate CFO Jimmy Barge said that the company projects they’ll experience little to no financial impact if the writers strike lasts three months (the 2007-2008 strike was 100 days). This is based on Lionsgate’s large library and content pipeline.

Thunderbolts and Wonder Man have halted production, they’ll resume once the strike is over. Pre-production on Blade remains paused.

May 24, 2023

Due to picketing, production on the second season of Nickelodeon’s The Really Loud House was suspended.

Filming on location in Los Angeles is down 51.5% (according to last week’s number) compared to last year. Speaking to Deadline, Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, said the following about the severe drop due to the strike:

"In a normal week at this time of year, there would be dozens of scripted television projects actively in production. By contrast, we have just five scripted TV series with permits to film this week, and three of the projects connected with these permits are reported to have ended production. Of the remaining two permits for scripted TV shows, he said: “Both are connected with non-certified stages and studios. These permits are typically pulled by productions on a rolling two-week basis. Under the circumstances, the existence of a stage permit is not a reliable indicator that film work is taking place.”"

Production on Duster has once again been shut down.

May 22, 2023

Production on season 2 of FX’s Old Man has been suspended indefinitely. Reportedly shooting was to last until the completion of episode 5 since the rest of the scripts need rewrites, however, they were only able to finish production on episode 4 before the call to halt filming was announced. Production is expected to resume sometime after the strike.

Production on the Max period drama, Duster, has been suspended. The series, from Latoya Morgan and J.J. Abrams, is set in 1972 and follows the first black woman to become an FBI agent. Her name is Nina and she’s working to take down a crime syndication. Production was shut down after International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and teamsters refused to cross the picket line. Abrams himself had been spotted on a picket line on May 5 at FOX studios.

May 19, 2023

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) board has voted unanimously to authorize a strike if they can’t reach an agreement with the AMPTP. Negotiations between the two bodies begin June 7. Their contracts expire on June 30.

The Penguin, the Colin Farrell-led The Batman spin-off series coming to Max, saw production disruptions from Tuesday-Thursday this week due to Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) picketers. Smaller scenes were able to be filmed in Brooklyn on Friday. The show is expected to premiere on the streamer in 2024.

Production on Good Fortune, a film written and directed by Aziz Ansari and also starring Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen has been halted indefinitely due to the strike and picketing during (attempted) filming.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more updates on the WGA strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike.