Heads of State to Gladiator 2: SAG-AFTRA strike affected International Films and TV Projects

If the current situation could be captured in a GIF, it might see Michael Scott racing about yelling at everyone to "stay calm."

One of the top transatlantic agents messaged yesterday, "Madness," when it became apparent that the historic SAG-AFTRA strike would probably go through.

In fact, SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP's contract talks ceased last night, and the guild's national board will convene today morning (U.S. time) to formally ratify the start of a strike. It will be the first actors' strike since 1980 and the first time writers and performers have both gone on strike at the same time since 1960, when Ronald Reagan served as the Screen Actors Guild president. Friday morning is when the picketing will start.

 

 

 

 

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ALSO READ: Hollywood's 'double strike' explained: How it will impact movies, how long will it last and more

In late June, Deadline detailed how a SAG strike may effect Hollywood. The impact on a global market already hit by the WGA strike will be enormous, forcing a number of film and TV projects to delay or rearrange their timetables. As we stated in May, projects were already experiencing delays as a result of insurance issues brought up by the prospective SAG strike, and the likelihood of voiceover and reshoots will make things difficult for anything that has just wrapped. Some of the productions that just wrapped up, narrowly evading the strike, including HBO's The Palace starring Kate Winslet and Amazon's Lord of the Rings Season 2. Although Beetlejuice 2 is currently in production in the US, it just wrapped up filming in the UK. Numerous major American tentpoles that might have already been in production or pre-production had to be pushed back because of the WGA and SAG strikes. One of those, at the very least, would have been filming in the UK.

ALSO READ: SAG-AFTRA strike: Everything you need to know about actors' walkout, writers guild demands and more

Equity, the union for actors in the UK, informed us today that it is drafting guidelines for its 50,000 members. Later, the guidance will be published on the internet. It's anticipated that some actors from other countries would strike in support of their SAG counterparts.

The much-awaited Oppenheimer red carpet is taking place later today in London, but it might be the last major premiere for a time as the worldwide promotion of finished films and TV shows appears to be turning into a massive headache. The capacity of the next autumn festivals to draw celebrities for potential Oscar contenders is really in doubt. Before that, festivals like Jerusalem, Locarno, Sarajevo, and Edinburgh are just a few that would have trouble luring American actors for publicity.

The list of overseas film and television productions that the most recent strike may have an impact on is updated below from Deadline. We are aware that some films, like Slow Horses on Apple TV+, shot SAG member scenes before the strike was called, while others, like House of the Dragon, had contracts with a British rather than an American union. The situation is still in flux.

House of the Dragon- Filming is now taking place in the UK and Spain for the second season of HBO's Game of Thrones spin-off, which stars notable actors including Paddy Considine and Matt Smith. However, because the contract for the programme is with the UK union Equity and not SAG-AFTRA, filming can continue.

Day of the Jackal, a high-profile film by Sky and Peacock Eddie Redmayne plays the lead in the remake of Frederick Forsyth, which is now filming in London, Budapest, Croatia, and Austria.

Industry American actors Myha'la Herrold and Ken Leung play significant roles in the third season of the BBC/HBO financial blockbuster. However, because the contract for the programme is with the UK union Equity and not SAG-AFTRA, filming can continue.

Despite pausing her American projects, Bad Sisters creator Sharon Horgan continued writing the BAFTA-winning hit throughout the writers' strike, and Season 2 is scheduled to begin filming in Ireland. Horgan, Claes Bang, and Anne-Marie Duff are among its cast members.

Max's prequel series Dune: The Sisterhood is about to resume filming in Budapest, and since it is under a UK union, Equity, rather than SAG-AFTRA, it will continue during the SAG strike. Shalom Brune Franklin and Emily Watson are its lead actors.

The first season of Doctor Who, a BBC sci-fi hit that is also being co-produced for Disney, is ready to go into production and will include new doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, and Adria Arjona are the main cast members of the Disney+ Star Wars drama's second season. SAG-AFTRA and the WGA "are trying to preserve our industry," according to the show's creator Tony Gilroy, who also criticised the AMPTP's negotiating strategies in a statement to Deadline yesterday.

Pre-production for FX's small-screen adaptation of the acclaimed Ridley Scott and Noah Hawley franchise is now taking place in Thailand.

The highly anticipated third season of Mike White's critically acclaimed television series The White Lotus, which is moving its filming to Thailand, has been put on hold as a result of the writers strike. Actors from the United States who appeared in Seasons 1 and 2 include Sydney Sweeney and Jennifer Coolidge.

Like White Lotus, Season 4 of Netflix's Lily Collins-starring French phenomenon has already been postponed as a result of the writers strike, according to Emily in Paris.

Movies

The long-awaited third installment of everyone's favourite bear, Paddington in Peru, is set to begin filming on July 24. Ben Whishaw will appear in the most recent film alongside Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, and Rachel Zegler.

Amateur Rami Malek, the Oscar winner for Slow Horses, is starring in and producing James Hawes' film, which has begun filming in the UK. The movie, so far as we know, has been put on hold.

Gladiator 2 Filming has been taking place in Morocco for the eagerly anticipated sequel, which stars Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal.

The Radleys The Damian Lewis-starring film portrays a perfectly normal family who have a sinister secret: they are vampires. Deadline first made this information public in June.
Australia has been filming the martial arts sequel Mortal Kombat 2 with Karl Urban, Hiroyuki Sanada, Damon Herriman, and Martyn Ford.

Heads of State The movie's plot elements are unknown, but Idris Elba, John Cena, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas all star in the Amazon Studios production, which has been filming in London.

Remake of the musical Wicked by Universal and Jon M. Chu, starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Michelle Yeoh, is one of the biggest productions currently filming in the UK. The project, which was being produced at Sky Studios Elstree, would suffer greatly from any SAG strike.

Speak No Evil In the UK, horror specialists Blumhouse have also released their most recent film, which stars James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis. The family invited to spend a weekend in a picture-perfect country estate is followed in the remake of the Danish production from 2022 as their fantasy getaway turns into a psychological nightmare.