WGA Strike May Be Nearing Its End As Netflix And Disney Bosses Make Writers New Offer On Behalf Of Studios

WGA Strike May Be Nearing Its End As Netflix And Disney Bosses Make Writers New Offer On Behalf Of Studios

The end might of the WGA strike might be that little bit closer after Hollywood studios have finally offered writers new assurances about pay, viewership date, and the role of artificial intelligence...

News
By JoshWilding - Aug 15, 2023 06:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: Bloomberg

Since the beginning of May, over 11,500 screenwriters who are part of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike. The ongoing labour dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has shown no real sign of ending, with some speculating it could last until next year. 

A number of movies and TV shows have already been delayed, but writers simply want better pay and assurances they're not about to be replaced by artificial intelligence. 

According to Bloomberg, Hollywood studios have now made an offer to these striking scribes that includes a number of concessions. Those include a greater level of transparency with viewer data and a promise that humans will remain the credited writers of screenplays and not AI programs. 

Steamers currently keep viewership data a closely guarded secret, but that information would be shared with writers moving forward, specifically in regard to the number of hours a title is viewed. That will presumably make a big difference to some of the laughable residual cheques we've seen shared on social media lately.

In fact, the studios are also offering a 20+% increase in residual payments for TV shows which appear on networks other than the one they were made for. 

Despite becoming a target of those on strike for describing the actions of WGA and SAG-AFTRA members as "disturbing," Disney CEO Bob Iger and Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos are believed to be spearheading these latest attempts to reach a deal with writers. 

The WGA is thought to be considering the proposals, but whether they'll be enough to get writers back behind their keyboards remains to be seen. It's certainly a step in the right direction, though we'd imagine actors will remain on the picket lines until they receive similar assurances. 

As always, keep checking back here for updates on this developing story as we have them. 

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HammerLegFoot
HammerLegFoot - 8/15/2023, 6:46 AM
I cant wait for it all to be over. I dont need deadpool delayed. And I just wanna freaking know who the Fantastic 4 are.
dragon316
dragon316 - 8/15/2023, 8:56 AM
@HammerLegFoot - let it end feels like Covid without masks and it’s also not fair for people not being properly
cham2119
cham2119 - 8/15/2023, 10:13 AM
@HammerLegFoot - I can't wait for people to get paid what they are worth instead of CEO's make millions off of their hard work
soberchimera
soberchimera - 8/15/2023, 2:13 PM
@HammerLegFoot - Be careful what you wish for....
CoHost
CoHost - 8/15/2023, 6:48 AM
Cool. Then Dune 2 won't be delayed and it can take away Oppenheimer's Oscar chances at the tech nods.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 8/15/2023, 7:28 AM
@CoHost - uhhh
TheShellyMan
TheShellyMan - 8/15/2023, 11:46 AM
@CoHost - I know Disney was hoping that movie to get delayed so they push up The Marvels.
WhatIfRickJames
WhatIfRickJames - 8/15/2023, 6:49 AM
I can’t wait for the strike to end so we don’t have to get rehashed, fan art or speculative articles
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 8/15/2023, 8:52 AM
@WhatIfRickJames - You and i both!
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 8/15/2023, 6:57 AM
Here's to hoping that once the writers are given what they want, there wont be a large uptick on horrible scripts.
JDL
JDL - 8/15/2023, 1:09 PM
@vectorsigma - This offer ain't that.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 8/15/2023, 7:15 AM
My first day in my new opening shift, as opposed to closing, and my supervisor isn’t here. He’s supposed to show me my new role. I’ve been here an hour and a quarter, and none of my important work has gotten done… Uh-oh.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 8/15/2023, 7:29 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - hang out lol it's not your fault
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 8/15/2023, 8:41 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - Not saying your work isn't important, and that's gotta be frustrating having your boss not show up like that. But I'm morally against mosquito farming, those things are evil. They spread disease and they ruin camping trips.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 8/15/2023, 9:42 AM
@UncleHarm1 - I’ve got a bite on my forearm. Been scratching for days. They’re little a**holes. That’s why those jackwagons need a farmin’.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/15/2023, 6:57 PM
@MosquitoFarmer @UncleHarm1 - I'll take mosquitos over chiggers (and yes I said "CHIGGERS") any day. If you don't know, they are these tiny tiny red things that looks like ticks and are so small that you don't feel them crawling on you. Oh, yeah, and the REALLY fun part: they tend to go for your groin area. And once they bite you, you'll have a HUGE, super-icky bite that lasts for about a month. They tend to hang out by pools. And I have a pool...

Maybe you should change your chosen profession to "ChiggerFarmer". No, wait, that could get you in trouble. Nevermind.
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 8/15/2023, 11:16 PM
@StSteven - Are we farming them to eat?? Or like Javier Bardem in No Country with a cattle gun kind of farming
StSteven
StSteven - 8/15/2023, 11:29 PM
@UncleHarm1 - Oh cattle gun. Definitely the cattle gun. That's how I take care of ALL the pests on my property. Rabbits, squirrels, rats, wasps, mosquitos, chiggers, solicitors, mail carriers, UPS/FedEx/Amazon delivery people, the neighbor's kids... um, yeah, just forget all that. *Ahem* Lemme start over: we're eating them: the neighbor's kids...
UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 8/15/2023, 11:33 PM
@StSteven - I literally set up a live trap to catch a mouse that lives under my couch today, gonna keep it as a pet. But children are delicious.
StSteven
StSteven - 8/16/2023, 12:20 AM
@UncleHarm1 - That was literally my main takeaway from “Hansel and Gretel” as a kid. It really all comes down to the marinade. That’s like an art in and of itself.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/15/2023, 7:16 AM
Make sense. They are the leaders of the industry. Whatever Disney and Netflix do, the rest follows
Timerider
Timerider - 8/15/2023, 9:47 AM
@PlusUltra - raise prices, just like Disney has already started, the others will follow if the writers accept.
JDL
JDL - 8/15/2023, 1:16 PM
@Timerider - There is a limit on rasing prices imo. There are other changes needed (imo) especially in controlling production costs.
JDL
JDL - 8/15/2023, 1:19 PM
@PlusUltra - Netflix isn't a normal industry leader since Disney, WB, Paramount, and Universal can handle union contracts that would kill Netflix.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/15/2023, 1:21 PM
@JDL - In terms of streaming, it is. Remember, all of those, including Disney, followed the model Netflix set and revolutionised.
JDL
JDL - 8/15/2023, 2:43 PM
@PlusUltra - In that sense I agree but that's all they've got. In anything having to do with the unions they're followers.
Ojeet78
Ojeet78 - 8/15/2023, 7:19 AM
"...a promise that humans will remain the credited writers of screenplays and not AI programs" is a very roundabout thing to say. I hope the writers don't give an inch nor do they relent until the conversation is "no AI". I'd like the strike to be over as well and hopefully get back to work too but until the studio heads completely let go of AI , I don't see this happening. Even the slightest compromise on AI will be unfortunate and have dire ramifications.
malschla
malschla - 8/15/2023, 7:26 AM
@Ojeet78 - why are you against AI?
Ojeet78
Ojeet78 - 8/15/2023, 7:38 AM
@malschla - Cause it takes away the human choice. It also creates soulless drivel from scraped art which not a single artist has given consent to. This strike is more about preserving artistic integrity, hence the studios not taking a firm stance against use of AI is one of the main reasons why it has gone on for so long.
Origame
Origame - 8/15/2023, 7:45 AM
@Ojeet78 - even as a tool? Ffs!
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/15/2023, 7:56 AM
@Ojeet78 - Not sure what the issue here is. AI is inevitable, unfortunately. But at least this way, no matter what, creators will be credited for their work, regardless of how much AI had an input in the final draft.
Forthas
Forthas - 8/15/2023, 8:11 AM
@PlusUltra - I don't get it! Who cares if an AI gets the credit. I am sure that AI's are not demanding credit for their work. So why would this be a sticking point. Unless they are saying that if a writer is only polishing what an AI spot out then they were not planning to credit the writer.
Ojeet78
Ojeet78 - 8/15/2023, 8:13 AM
@PlusUltra - Like I said, we would like zero AI input. Art is not a problem that needs quick fixing or an algorithm. Its the mistakes and the process that makes art what it is. Sanitized, soulless, computer generated scripts with human tweaks will be the death of the creative field. Hence, the strike. If studios keep up with their profit laden myopic view , this strike will never end. It's also sad to see people side with the studios on this. If this strike does not work in the favor of writers/actors/creatives, it will only embolden more disciplines to replace their workforce with AI.
JoeInTheBox
JoeInTheBox - 8/15/2023, 8:22 AM
@Forthas - If I did work, you best believe I would want credit for it. Why would you not? How else do you plan on creating a portfolio if you aren't credited for the work you've done? Especially, when writers rely on contracted work.

Without credit, the work you've done, ceases to exist if you plan on references for future work.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 8/15/2023, 8:26 AM
@Ojeet78 - Look, I agree. But that’s not feasibly going to happen, because they’re never going to not use these tools now they’re at their disposal, so this is best alternative, and really, the only one.
Forthas
Forthas - 8/15/2023, 8:27 AM
@JoeInTheBox - Well I guess my question was is the issue that the Producers did not want to give credit for the work that mostly an AI did. To me that is not a concession. It is not going to hurt the feelings of an AI or eat into their income. I know in this industry "credit" is the industry currency but what was the initial offer the producers were suggesting?
ptick
ptick - 8/15/2023, 8:40 AM
@Ojeet78 - So in that scenario if a WRITER were found to be using AI as a tool to help shape a script, would they have to give some of their money back?
Ojeet78
Ojeet78 - 8/15/2023, 8:46 AM
@ptick - Not a single writer uses AI as a tool to write. That's not a thing. The AMPTP wants to make it a thing so they can pump out more projects. Hence, the pushback from the WGA.
ptick
ptick - 8/15/2023, 8:51 AM
@Ojeet78 - It could very well be a thing if the writers were assured they wouldn't be replaced. So, again, would you be against this? Are you advocating for a complete and total ban of AI in script writing that would apply writers as well?
ptick
ptick - 8/15/2023, 8:52 AM
@Ojeet78 - Also, I assume you are speaking specifically of script writers? Because I can assure you there are people out there who make most or all of their living writing who are absolutely already using it.
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