Screenwriters will resume negotiations with studios in Hollywood

After nearly one hundred days of strike by Hollywood screenwriters, negotiations between the studios and the working writers in both film and television industries are scheduled to resume this week, according to their union.

The negotiations between the Writers Guild and representatives of the employers had been stalled since the start of the social movement on May 2.

In mid-July, the crisis in Hollywood escalated when actors joined the strike, demanding better salaries and guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence. In the wake of this unprecedented dual social movement not seen in Hollywood since 1960, almost all films and series came to a halt.

In an email sent to its members on Tuesday, the union said that the studios "contacted the Writers Guild today and requested a meeting on Friday to continue negotiations," adding, "we will inform you of developments after the upcoming meeting."

Pressure is mounting on the studios as the number of actors surpasses that of writers, with stars such as Sean Penn, Colin Farrell, Jessica Chastain, and Susan Sarandon among their ranks.

During the strike, actors are prohibited from promoting new films, affecting a significant number of summer films and festivals. It even caused the postponement of the Emmy Awards ceremony, equivalent to the Oscars for television, indefinitely.

The repercussions of the strike are expected to increase. The last social movement in 2007-2008, which concerned only screenwriters and lasted one hundred days, resulted in losses of up to two billion dollars for the audiovisual sector in the United States.

The screenwriters are demanding higher wages and a larger share of the works shown on streaming platforms. However, the studios have so far rejected these demands, citing the economic pressures faced by the fiercely competitive sector.

The screenwriters also seek guarantees to prevent the use of artificial intelligence programs, whether for writing screenplays for their works or for reproducing their voices and images.

Negotiations between the actors' union, the studios, and streaming platforms remain at a standstill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP