Hollywood definitively ends the actors’ strike: SAG-AFTRA ratifies the new agreement

Although we have been calling off the actors’ strike for several weeks, the possibility of resuming it was very real since the agreement had not been ratified.

Hollywood has been a hornet’s nest in 2023: the scriptwriters blew the whistle in May when they called an indefinite strike that turned the industry upside down. A little over two months later, actors from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also went on strike.

Naturally, and without detracting from the role of screenwriters in the industry, the studios had it even more difficult to continue with ongoing productions as they could not count on their stars. Movies and series had to suspend filming at the expense of reaching an agreement.

The promotion also suffered a blow that led to films as Grand Tourism o The Moon Killers to not have a conventional press tour, with interviews with the union-affiliated cast. Others, like Dune – Part 2they delayed its premiere so as not to be affected by not being able to have their stellar cast.

The end of the tunnel was in sight almost a month ago, on November 8, when SAG-AFTRA announced a provisional agreement with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP) that would be put to a vote. However, several actors expressed doubts about the agreement, which made the possibility of the strike being reactivated very real.

A new three-year agreement for SAG-AFTRA

Finally, and despite the reluctance of actors such as Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) on artificial intelligence, where it believes that the union has made too many concessions, SAG-AFTRA has moved forward with the vote on the new agreement that will be valid for three years.

According to Deadlinehe 78.33% of SAG-AFTRA voting members They have approved the new agreement with the studios. This is a stark contrast to the overwhelming 99% of votes that the deal received. Writers Guild of America (WGA), a true reflection of these discrepancies.

In the eyes of the industry, however, the agreement removes the storm clouds that threatened to reactivate the strike if the vote turned out not to be in favor of the agreement. In fact, although films like Gladiator 2 They have just resumed their production, other projects had delayed returning to the set until 2024 in case things did not go well and it was time to return to the picket lines.

The already historic Hollywood strikes of 2023 are a thing of the past, but the impact they have on the industry remains to be seen, since much of it will be noticeable throughout next year.