Actors Encouraged to Skip San Diego Comic-Con If Strike Takes Place This Week
It's looking increasingly likely Hollywood is avoiding this summer's San Diego Comic-Con. Earlier this month, news broke most genre-oriented movie studios were skipping the annual event due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike and now, it looks like the event may be without any actor appearances as well. Monday, SAG-AFTRA officials laid down the groundwork for the impending strike, saying members of the guild would not be able to do any press or social media promotion should a strike go into effect.
According to a new report for TheWrap, actors will be allowed to attend Comic-Con later this month, but only if they don't partake in a studio-run panel or press event. The site says that while attendance is possible, the union is advising against any appearances whatsoever at the event.
Guild officials extended the bargaining deadline earlier this month, allowing leadership to extended negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The deadline is now the night of Wednesday, July 12th.
Why is the actor's guild going on strike?
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."
