SAG-AFTRA leadership continued to bargain with the major studios on Sunday, but despite growing optimism around the industry, no deal has been reached yet.
The union presented its latest proposal to the studios on Saturday. The two sides were said to be engaged in “productive” talks through the weekend.
One source said that on Sunday there were “tough conversations” as they have yet to resolve the thorny issues around regulation of artificial intelligence. Another said that the talks were progressing in the right direction.
On Sunday night, SAG-AFTRA told its members that both sides would work independently on Monday, and would connect at the end of the day about scheduling further meetings.
“Join us and flood picket lines in the morning,” the union said. “Make your voices heard.”
Four studio CEOs — Ted Sarandos of Netflix, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Bob Iger of Disney — have warned that time is running out on the 2023-24 TV season. Several blockbusters have already been moved off their 2024 release dates, as the strike continues to lay waste to the theatrical calendar.
The CEOs participated in two days of talks last week. Since then, they have been monitoring the negotiations while Carol Lombardini, the CEO of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, takes the lead for the studios.
With Halloween approaching, SAG-AFTRA continues to take ribbing over its injunction to members to avoid dressing up as characters from studio films and TV shows.
“Saturday Night Live” devoted an entire sketch to poking fun at the rule, with Sarah Sherman portraying SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher.
And Megan Fox also posted an image on Instagram of herself dressed up as Gogo Yubari, the character from Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 1.” She and Machine Gun Kelly dressed up for the Casamigos Halloween Party in Beverly Hills on Friday night. Kelly appeared as Uma Thurman’s Bride character.
Fox appeared to be deliberately thumbing her nose at the SAG-AFTRA rule, as she tagged the union in her Instagram post on Saturday.
SAG-AFTRA has been on strike since July 14.
VIP+ Webinar Replay: Hollywood on Strike — What’s Next?
