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Strike in Hollywood: Authors walk off the job with immediate effect
by Luca Fontana
Writers' strike in Hollywood: Which series and films are directly affected?
10.5.2023
Translation: machine translated
Last week, the Writer's Guild of America called for a writers' strike. Here you can find out which productions have been paused, delayed or even completely cancelled.
"Lost". "Heroes". "Friday Night Lights". The list of series affected by the last writers' strike in Hollywood 15 years ago is long. The strike lasted a full 100 days, from 5 November to 12 February 2008, and the authors' walkout also affected films such as "James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". This raises the question of what impact the current events could possibly have on your favourite series.
My colleague Luca Fontana gave you the first information on the Writer's Guild of America (WGA) writers' strike last week.
In the meantime, some information on various productions has already leaked out. Below you will find an overview of which series and films are currently affected by the writers' strike.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night (HBO)
Source: HBO
The "Game of Thrones" prequel closed its writers' room for the entire duration of the strike on 7 May, as George R.R. Martin announced: "No one wanted this - at least no author with an ounce of sense - but the producers, the studios, the broadcasters and the streaming providers gave us no choice."
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Series actress Sheryl Lee Ralph told "Today.com" that writing for the third season was due to begin on 3 May. This has now been delayed indefinitely. Ultimately, a shortened third season is also possible, explained Brittani Nichols, one of the authors of "Abbott Elementary".
Big Mouth (Netflix)
The animated series from Netflix was in the writing process for the eighth and final season six weeks before the strike. It has been on hold ever since. Without the strike, the creators would have finished writing in August, according to the American entertainment industry trade publication Variety.
Blade
Source: Marvel Studios
Marvel has cancelled pre-production for the well-known vampire remake Blade for the time being. This could further delay the already postponed premiere in September 2024.
Cobra Kai (Netflix)
Cobra Kai has also been on hiatus since 2 May. Jon Hurwitz, one of the showrunners, declared his solidarity with his team of writers on Twitter: "We hate going on strike, but when we have to, we hit hard. [...] No scriptwriters on set. These are not pleasant times, but unfortunately it's necessary. As soon as a fair deal is reached, we'll get back to work. In the meantime, we are sending strength and support to the negotiating committee".
Evil (Paramount+)
The production of season 4 of the supernatural thriller series ended earlier than expected after filming was disrupted by the departure of an actor for personal reasons and by members of the Writers Guild going on strike near the production site. Ten episodes had previously been planned. It is still unclear whether the premature end of production will have an impact on this.
House of Dragons (HBO)
According to George R.R. Martin, filming for the second season began on 11 April and will continue in London and Wales. The scripts were all finalised months ago. Each episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions to address any notes and budget concerns, Martin said. There will therefore be no further revisions. "These scripts have to be shot exactly as they were at midnight on 1 May. Not a single word may be changed, shortened or added, not a single scene may be altered," he explains the situation.
Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (Amazon)
Amazon will continue production of the second season despite the ongoing writers' strike. However, the final 18 days of filming will take place without the two showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay on set. However, the American website Variety reports that the two have considered a possible strike in the run-up to filming and have made provisions to make their absence from the show as seamless as possible.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Shooting for the third season of the science fiction series was due to begin on 2 May. However, as the Canadian film and television unions are showing solidarity with the writers' union WGA, this is having an impact on US productions in Canada. Production has been delayed until further notice. The original shooting dates were scheduled from May to the end of September.
Stranger Things (Netflix)
On Saturday, Stranger Things series creators Matt and Ross Duffer confirmed on Twitter that production on the fifth and final season of the Netflix series has been delayed: "The writing doesn't stop when filming begins. We were looking forward to starting production with our great cast and crew, but that won't be possible during the strike. We hope a fair agreement will be reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then - over and out".
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
While the current second season is still airing in the USA, production has started on the third season. Ashley Lyle, a co-creator of the series, has now directly announced that the writers' room has been closed again after just one day. She expressed her solidarity with the WGA for a fair deal.
And what else?
Production of other series is also paused for the time being. These include the two "Apple TV+" series "Loot" and "Severance" as well as the "HBO Max" comedy "Hacks", the "NBC" multi-cam comedy "Night Court" and the second spin-off of the gangster drama "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" from "Starz". More series and films could be added to this list in the coming weeks. In particular, the scripts for the network series from ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW will be written from May and June.
Cover photo: Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock
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