Hollywood actors are heading towards a strike after negotiations between major US studios and the actors' union failed, with the union describing the production companies' proposals regarding wages as "insulting."
The actors' union stated that "after over four weeks of negotiations," the previous agreement expired on Wednesday midnight without reaching any new agreement.
The positions of the union are far from those expressed by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which includes prominent studios such as Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, and digital platforms including Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.
The actors' union, representing 160,000 actors and workers in television and film, stated in a statement that the AMPTP's responses to the union's key proposals were insulting and did not respect what they have achieved for this sector. It added, "Employers have refused to meaningfully address some issues while showing disregard towards us in other matters."
The union's office is expected to endorse the start of the actors' strike on Thursday.
The negotiation deadline was extended for ten days until Wednesday midnight Los Angeles time, while the final day of negotiations witnessed the arrival of a mediator sent by the US government at the last minute.
If the actors decide to strike, they will join the already striking screenwriters since the beginning of May. Hollywood will witness a dual protest movement, the first in Hollywood since 1960.
Both actors and screenwriters demand better wages in the face of recorded inflation and guarantees in case their work is affected by the use of artificial intelligence programs.
If the actors go on strike, it will deal a heavy blow to studio executives and streaming platforms.
Since May, the few production teams that decided to begin shooting their works relied on completed scripts in the spring without the possibility of making any modifications. Among them is the new installment of "The Lord of the Rings" series funded by Amazon. However, shooting works will not be possible without actors.
Only some talk shows and reality TV programs may continue airing.
Emmys in Jeopardy -
The actors' absence on the red carpet will leave a significant void. The Comic-Con International, the world's largest convention for fans of popular culture characters, may take place next week in San Diego in the absence of stars.
Disney clarified that the release of its new film "Jungle Cruise" would be turned into a "special event" this weekend if the actors resort to a strike.
The potential actors' strike would put the Primetime Emmy Awards, equivalent to the Oscars in television, scheduled for September 18, at risk. The organizers of this event are already considering postponing it to November or even the following year, according to American media reports.
On Wednesday evening, the major nominations for these awards, considered the television equivalent of the Oscars, were announced.
The series "Succession," provided by HBO, which depicts the story of a powerful family torn apart by conflicts and disputes over controlling a media empire, topped the list with 27 nominations.
"The Crown," which received 24 nominations, and "The White Lotus," with 23 nominations, both from HBO, are among the prominent competing series alongside "Succession."
The last major demand movement in Hollywood occurred in 2007-2008 when screenwriters went on strike, leading to the paralysis of the audiovisual sector in the United States, resulting in losses of billions of dollars due to the protests that lasted for 100 days.
Existential Crisis -
The dual protest movement will be an indication that Hollywood is currently facing an existential crisis. In late June, hundreds of prominent actors, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Ben Stiller, signed a letter stating that the film industry is facing an "unprecedented turning point."
The emergence of streaming platforms about ten years ago led to a decrease in the wages that actors receive for each rerun of their films or series.
Without this essential income that helps workers in the film industry sustain themselves during the downtime between jobs, many cinema workers, not just actors or writers, affirm that their profession is unstable.
The recent rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, which Disney recently used to compose the opening theme for the series "Secret Invasion," only exacerbates the problem.
The unions of screenwriters, directors, and many professions in the film industry have shown a unified stance in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The unions emphasized that "what is happening is not a battle waged by actors against studios but a battle concerning workers in various film professions who are uniting to prevent major companies from undermining the conditions they have fought for over the decades."
AFP