Experts fear a long strike in Hollywood: “All hope is gone”

Hollywood screenwriters went on strike last Tuesday. The writers’ union had been negotiating for weeks with studios and streaming services including Netflix, Amazon, Disney, NBC and Sony over wages and terms, but failed to reach an agreement. The producers, united in the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), said they had made a “generous offer”, but it was not enough for the 11,500 members of the WGA.

This is the first time in fifteen years that screenwriters have gone on massive strike. Major film and TV productions will shut down if the strike prevents new scripts from being written and script adaptations of titles already in production.

Several late-night shows, including those by Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, have already been hit by the strike last week. It was also announced that a number of series are likely to experience issues due to the strike, such as Marvel’s Blade, whose recordings would begin soon. The Writers’ Union said earlier this week that the writers are unanimous in their goals and have no plans to end the strike any time soon.