The Actors’ Strike is Over, So When Will Your Favorite Shows and Movies Go Back Into Production?
The four-month-long SAG-AFTRA strike that had actors on picket lines instead of in front of cameras ended last week, but it will be some time before the effects of the actors returning to work are seen by the viewing public.
“We are thrilled & proud to tell you that today your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP,” SAG-AFTRA’s official account posted on the social media site formerly known as Twitter on November 8th. The walkout was the longest in the union’s history.
Some productions, like Saturday Night Live and late night talk shows, immediately went back to work following the end of the Writers’ Guild strikes, but that isn’t the case for the producers of television shows and movies. The only difference we will see is that now SAG-AFTRA members who appear on those programs won’t be prohibited from promoting their upcoming projects, as they were while the strike was in progress.
Once the strike began, production on movies like Deadpool 3 with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, as well as Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel came to an immediate halt. Those, along with Mortal Kombat 2, which is filming in Australia, are likely among the first films that will resume production. Even then, lining up location shoots, building sets and scheduling the A-list actors heading those productions means those cameras won’t be rolling any time soon – and probably not until early next year.
Release schedules were also upended for the strike, so expect more delays as the studios juggle the premiere dates for their upcoming slate of films. For example, Disney announced on Thursday that Deadpool 3 would open in late July, rather than early May as originally planned.
Over on the TV side, writers were able to immediately resume script work on shows like Abbott Elementary, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets, which is one advantage that might help those productions get back on the air sooner once their stars are cleared to work.
Shows like Dick Wolf’s crime dramas Law & Order, FBI and Chicago are moving a little faster than films, with production expected to resume in the next few weeks. Over at ABC, shooting for Grey’s Anatomy, and The Rookie is scheduled for this month, which could result in new episodes shortly after the first of the year. CBS’s Tracker, a new drama, should also start production soon.
This also applies to streaming shows like Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building and HBO’s The Last of Us.
Studios can turn out television episodes faster than feature films, but once shot, those shows still face a lengthy editing and promotional process that might mean the 2023-24 season of your favorite shows will be shortened.
According to Deadline, established shows will take priority over new series. Many new scripted shows that were scheduled for release in the 2023/2024 season will now premiere in the fall of 2024.