According to sources, finally, there could be a positive solution to the writers’ demands. Producers might sit with the writers soon and finalize a deal.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is continuing a strike from May 2, 2023. The guild representing over 11,500 screenwriters is pulling through their demands with the AMPTP(Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) over labor disputes. The strike gained strength as The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA). This paralyzed the film industry for more than 100 days.
Eminent authors like Neil Gaiman, Gillian Flynn, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, and others took to social media to share their views and demand their rights. British writer Neil Gaiman wrote, “We are where it begins. In the beginning, was the idea, and then the word, and then all the other words, and then the words you crossed out and the words you didn’t need and the different words that when you look at them on Tuesday aren’t as bad as you remember them being on Monday. And the words come from us.”
Hollywood actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore was criticized as soon as she made it public for airing her show amid the strike. Following her announcement, Barrymore was dropped as host of National Book Awards in the US.
According to a recent CNBC report a meeting was held between the writers and the producers on Wednesday and a deal would be finalized soon enough.
The writers demanded a pay raise and better working conditions from the streaming companies. They argued their compensation did not reflect the revenue generated by the streaming platforms. They also demanded rules to hire writers for a certain duration and to get paid throughout the stages of the show from pre-production, production to post-production.
Currently, a negotiation has been initiated involving the CEOs of production companies like Warner Bros., Disney, Netflix, and others. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said, “We need to do everything we can to get people back to work. We really have to focus as an industry, and we are trying to get this resolved in a way that’s really fair.”
By Ishita Ganguly
