After three consecutive days of prolonged negotiations, the screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood continues without a resolution, despite significant progress being made, as reported by three individuals who were briefed on the talks.
Both parties plan to reconvene on Saturday to continue their discussions.
The negotiations on Friday commenced at 11 a.m. Pacific time at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ headquarters in suburban Los Angeles. High-ranking industry executives, including Robert A. Igerfrom Disney, Donna Langley from Universal Pictures, Ted Sarandos from Netflix, and David Zaslav from Warner Bros. Discovery, actively participated in the negotiations after previously delegating the responsibility to others. This direct involvement, which had been long awaited according to screenwriters and analysts, contributed significantly to the recent progress, according to anonymous sources close to the talks.
During Thursday’s negotiations, the parties managed to narrow their differences on various issues, including minimum staffing requirements for television show writers’ rooms. This particular point had previously been a sticking point for the studios, but progress was made after the Writers Guild initiated the strike in early May.
However, the Thursday session took an unexpected turn when the parties agreed to take a short break around 5 p.m. Instead of focusing on the points already being negotiated, the guild brought forth additional requests, such as tying the return of screenwriters to work with a resolution of the ongoing actors’ strike.
The actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, joined the writers on the picket lines on July 14 and has more extensive demands than the Writers Guild. One of their demands is a 2 percent share of the total revenue generated by streaming shows, a proposal that studios have vehemently opposed.
Several hours after concluding Thursday’s talks, the guild sent an email to its members announcing a meeting on Friday.
“Your negotiating committee appreciates all the messages of solidarity and support we have received the last few days, and ask as many of you as possible to come out to the picket lines tomorrow,” the email said.
On Friday, the guild extended picketing hours until 2 p.m., resulting in a significantly larger turnout of hundreds of writers at Paramount Pictures. The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA have been organizing themed pickets to keep their members engaged, and on Friday, the theme was “puppet day.” As a result, some marchers held felt hand puppets and marionettes in addition to their picket signs, creating an optimistic atmosphere.
Outside Netflix’s Hollywood offices on Friday afternoon, picketing writers even took the opportunity to deliver farewell speeches via bullhorn. At the CBS lot in Studio City, several hundred writers participated in a “silent disco,” wearing headphones while dance-picketing.
By the time picketing ended on Friday, negotiations seemed to be back on track, according to insiders. One of the key issues under discussion was minimum staffing requirements for television shows. The parties were considering a proposal that would ensure the hiring of at least four writers, regardless of the number of episodes or the showrunner’s judgment on adequate staffing. Previously, studios had been advocating for a sliding number based on the episode count.
Another topic under review was the inclusion of payments from streaming services for writers, in addition to other fees. The proposal suggested that these payments be based on a percentage of active subscribers, marking the first time that writers would receive compensation directly tied to streaming viewership.
The strike has now been ongoing for 144 days, with the previous record being a 153-day strike in 1988.
“Thank you for the wonderful show of support on the picket lines today!” expressed the guild’s negotiating committee in a late Friday email to members. “It means so much to us as we continue to work toward a deal that writers deserve.”
Nicole Sperling contributed to this report.
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