Unlike Covid, which forced an abrupt and immediate shutdown of feature film production that ultimately cost studios somewhere north of $30 million per picture, Hollywood̵7;s majors are planning for and supporting Is doing. wga The strike began today, the first since last fall.
For many studios, their theatrical releases for 2024 are in post-production, though there are exceptions.
The DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts do not expire until June 30, and some filming is scheduled to begin before then. Studios have figured out a workaround: A handful of tentpole productions are shooting overseas where the Teamsters don’t have a heavy presence, and shoots are less likely to be shut down. Furthermore, studios have either locked scripts for productions, or obtained a sign-off if there is no scribe on set. Shutdown priority: Get big action sequences out of the way first. come Memorial Day weekend, if there’s still one wga strikeWe’re told the studio will conduct another evaluation of their planned June production.
Connected: Deadline’s complete WGA strike coverage
Both the directors’ and actors’ unions will be required to work until June 30, when both the DGA and SAG-AFTRA contracts expire.
SAG-AFTRA sent a memo to members in late April instructing: “If you are contracted to work on a project that continues production while the WGA is on strike, you are legally entitled to retain your personal service agreement and ‘no-strike’ clauses in our collective bargaining agreements. The DGA also issued a no-strike clause to its members.
(LR) Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in 2020’s ‘Bad Boys for Life’
Ben Rothstein / Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Those movies currently shooting include Sony’s Will Smith and Martin Lawrence retitled bad boys 4 with directors Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah in Atlanta; sony’s Ghost Busters Sequel directed by Gil Kenan in NYC (ending December 20), Blake Lively and Jenny Slate romantic drama from Culver City Studios It ends with us Robert Eggers’ Focus Feature Title nosferatu, in Central Europe (and nearing completion); and legendary fear of death, which will wrap up the Louisiana shoot in two weeks. 20th century is also new Foreigner Fede Alvarez’s film, which is lensing in Budapest and ends in mid-June.
bad boys 4, which does not yet have a release date, will continue to shoot uninterrupted in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA and DGA collective bargaining agreements. It’s also set to wrap around mid-June.
Also currently under construction at Disney/Marvel Studios Captain America: New World Order, Which is expected to start next summer on May 3, 2024. John M. Chu’s Broadway Smash Featuring Wicked, which will be released by Universal in two parts, nearing completion in London; The studio dropped the first footage from the picture at CinemaCon. wicked part 1 Hits theaters on November 27, 2024.
Again, if the studio has the material, and is ready to go, they’re cameras rolling. Marvel among those set for June debut by lightning (Release date: July 26, 2024), Paramount’s Untitled the Gladiator sequel in Europe (November 22, 2024), with several undated pictures including Warner Bros. Beetle Juice In the UK on 9 June, Clint Eastwood’s juror number 2 on June 19, and new line Mortal Kombat 2.
Meanwhile, other high-profile pictures are still in preparation and may await Paramount’s strike through sonic the hedgehog 3 (Release date: December 20, 2024) and Superman: LegacyJames Gunn’s “Gods and Monsters,” Warner Bros.’ first film in the DC universe, is eyeing to begin production in early 2024 for a July 11, 2025 theatrical release.
The biggest effect of the strike on these motion pictures during the shoot was the rolling cameras without the writer on the set; No changes can be made to the script. In addition, for any film shot in the US, the Teamsters may delay production.
‘Mickey 17’
Barry Levinson’s Warner Bros. Has A 2024 Release In Post-Production wise Guys (Release Date: February 2), Legendary Godzilla / King Kong Retime (March 24), Bong Joon Ho mickey 17 (29 March), furiosa (May 24) and still dated Coyote vs Acme. Paramount is also on the ball next year Bob Marley: One Love (January 12), A Quiet Place: Day 1 (March 8), John Krasinski If (May 24) and even Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2 (June 28).
It has to be determined that while the strike continues, what are the projects that the talent is engaged on paper will end due to force majeure. Such was the case during the 2007–08 strike when Warner Bros. planned George Miller Justice League With Adam Brody as The Flash and then newcomers Armie Hammer as Batman and Megan Gale as Wonder Woman. Further complicating that picture’s productions was the lack of Australian tax breaks, and the script needed polish by Kieran and Michelle Mulroney. Other planned pictures pulled back, involving Oliver Stone pinkville About the My Lai Massacre of the Vietnam War with Bruce Willis and Channing Tatum.
Disney’s release schedule looks rock solid as early as 2024 with animated on its way to release dates Elio on March 1 and snow White On 22 March.
The Lost Lands, from left: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride (back), Anna Friel (front), Jorma Taccone
However, the rush didn’t help either, and the 2007–08 strike resulted in a number of films that failed at the box office and with critics. that list included rob marshall music nine ($54 million in worldwide box office, cost $80 million) and Will Ferrell remake of the 1970s TV series land of the Lost ($68.8M WW, $100M cost, Although there was no strike in 2001, studios produced fewer such undercooked films than expected. The Truth About Charlie, Reign of Fire And dark blue.
as we mentioned earlierShould the WGA strike last four months or more, only then will studios be forced to push their films to later release dates, meaning 2024 and beyond.