Movie Studio CEOs Request Federal Mediator as Potential Actors' Strike Looms

The CEOs and senior executives of several major movie studios are planning to request assistance from federal mediators in an attempt to avert a SAG-AFTRA strike ahead of the contract deadline on July 12th. According to Variety, a group of executives, including Disney chief Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav, and Netflix's Ted Sarandos met on Monday evening to discuss bringing in a federal mediator. Deadline further reports that talent agency heads — Ari Emmanuel and CAA's Bryan Lourd — have offered to step in and try to assist in facilitating a deal between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP to avoid a strike as well with a source telling the outlet, "This wasn't just about stopping a strike, it was about finding a way forward for everybody."

Presently, the SAG-AFTRA contract is set to expire at midnight PT on Wednesday and thus far the two sides have. not come to agreement on a number of issues, including the use of AI, increases in minimum rates, streaming residuals and more and there has reportedly been very little progress towards a deal. The Wednesday expiration date comes after the original contract date of June 30th was given a 12-day extension.

Should SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP fail to come to an agreement and a strike ensue, it would effectively grind Hollywood to an immediate halt. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May after failing to come to an agreement when their own contract with the AMPTP expired. That strike has already led to many film and television productions in the industry to be delayed or halted. Should the actors strike as well, essentially any production that had not yet been impacted would likely be shut down as well.

An Actors' Strike Would Also Impact San Diego Comic-Con

Various Hollywood productions aren't the only things that would be impacted by a SAG-AFTRA strike if it ultimately happens. It was recently reported that should the strike go forward, members of the guild will not be able to any press or social media promotion at San Diego Comic-Con in just a couple of weeks. They would still be allowed to attend, but only if they don't participate in a studio-run panel or press event. The union is also generally advising against any appearances whatsoever at the event.

SAG-AFTRA Has Already Authorized a Strike if Necessary

So far, SAG-AFTRA members have only authorized a strike. Though that doesn't mean they're going on strike for sure, the members of the union have given leadership the permission to order a strike if agreements are not met.

"We do have unprecedented support from the union members where, if we feel like we're not making headway when the contract expires, which is June 30th at 11:59 p.m., we're gonna have to strike," union head Fran Drescher previously said of the situation. "You know, in some areas we are, and in some areas we're not. So, we just have to see. I mean, in earnest, it would be great if we can walk away with a deal that we want. And at the end of the day, you know, we're living in a time that's very different from the last few decades when the foundation of the contract was forged. It's the digital age now and the age of streaming, and it's a whole different business model. So, it really begs that we stand firm and hold strong and do right by the members in this industry and honor the massive contribution that they make. So, I'm really in it to win it on behalf of our 180,000 members. And we stand by the Writers Guild, too."