As actors go on strike, these films and TV shows are likely to shut down
When SAG-AFTRA’s national board of directors voted on Thursday to approve a strike action that would put actors on the picket lines for the first time since 1980, and striking alongside members of the Writers Guild of America for the first time in over 60 years, Hollywood went into freefall.
Productions around the globe with SAG-affiliated actors will be immediately affected. Although it can be difficult to nail down specifics of films as they prepare to start production or have begun shooting, here are some of the movies and shows that may be imminently affected by the production shutdown caused by the clash between SAG and the studios and streamers.
The projects, slated to be coming out over the next few years and featuring some of the best-known names in the industry, now will all be indefinitely delayed.
According to local news reports, 93-year-old Clint Eastwood had already begun filming “Juror #2,” in which he stars and directs, in Savannah, Ga. The cast for the Warner Bros.-backed crime thriller includes Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Kiefer Sutherland, Gabriel Basso and Zoey Deutch.
Last week photos were released of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman filming scenes in the U.K. for Disney’s “Deadpool 3.” The film is directed by Shawn Levy and the cast is reported to include Jennifer Garner, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin and Matthew Macfadyen.
There also were recent photos of Brad Pitt filming at the British Formula One Grand Prix for an untitled Formula One racing project. Produced for Apple Studios and directed by “Top Gun: Maverick’s” Joseph Kosinski, the film has a cast that includes Damson Idris and Javier Bardem.
Ridley Scott has been shooting “Gladiator 2,” the sequel to his 2000 best picture Oscar winner, with locations planned for Malta, Morocco and the U.K. With a cast that includes Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Dijmon Hounsou, the film is being made for Paramount Pictures.
How did talks between actors and studios collapse, resulting in the first strike under the film and TV contract since 1980?
It had been announced that Studiocanal’s “Paddington in Peru,” the third of the “Paddington” films, would begin shooting in late July, with Dougal Wilson making his feature debut as director, taking over from Paul King. Ben Whishaw was reported to be returning as the voice of Paddington, with Imelda Staunton again voicing the role of Aunt Lucy. Emily Mortimer will be stepping into the role of Mrs. Brown, previously played by Sally Hawkins. Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas and Rachel Zegler had all been reported to be in the cast.
Writer-producer Ryan Murphy is said to have three series in production, “American Horror Story,” “American Sports Story” and the anthology “American Horror Stories.” Murphy’s follow-up to “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which just earned four Emmy nominations, had been announced as “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” Actors Cooper Koch and Nicholas Chavez are reported to be playing Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers convicted of the murder of their parents.
Universal’s adaptation of the stage musical “Wicked” has been filming for many months in England. Directed by Jon M. Chu, the adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as, respectively, Elphaba and Galinda, with Jeff Goldblum as the wizard, and will be split into two parts for release.
Stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder are returning for “Beetlejuice 2,” with Tim Burton directing, as he did the 1988 original. Jenna Ortega — an Emmy nominee for the Burton-directed series “Wednesday,” which will not be returning for its second season anytime soon — plays the daughter of Ryder’s character. The Warner Bros. film had been shooting in England, but photos emerged last week from the production on location in Vermont.
While Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie have been hard at work promoting the release of “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” they supposedly had already started shooting on “Dead Reckoning Part Two,” with plans to return to production in earnest once the current film opened. That likely won’t happen until the strike resolves.
Lee Isaac Chung, an Oscar nominee for “Minari,” is directing the belated tornado sequel “Twisters,” which was reported to begin shooting in Oklahoma this spring, but it is unclear if production had wrapped. (A request for confirmation from Universal Pictures was not returned.) Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Kiernan Shipka, Anthony Ramos and David Corenswet have been announced as part of the cast.
“Venom 3” was scheduled to begun shooting in the U.K. at the end of June (also with possible shooting in Spain), with Tom Hardy returning as the lead in the franchise. Kelly Marcel, who worked as a writer and producer on the previous two “Venom” films, will make her directing debut with the project.
The ever-prolific Steven Soderbergh was said to be preparing a horror film, “Presence,” beginning in September, which could be affected depending on how long the strike goes on. And Paul Thomas Anderson was said to have another under-wraps, little-known-about project, reportedly set up at Warner Bros., to shoot over the summer as well.
As reported by Deadline, the HBO “Game of Thrones” spinoff show “House of the Dragon,” with a cast that includes Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith and Milly Alcock, and HBO series “Industry,” with cast including Marisa Abela, Priyanga Burford and Harry Lawtey, both have largely British casts not working under SAG-AFTRA contracts and will continue shooting their upcoming seasons in the U.K. (“Industry” does feature a number of American actors in its cast, including Myha’la Herrold, Ken Leung and Jay Duplass, possibly causing production issues.)
The “Star Wars” television series “Andor” had been shooting its second season in London. The themes of the show, in which a small, dedicated group of people rises up against an oppressive force, in many ways speak to this labor-related moment. Star and executive producer Diego Luna spoke to The Times earlier this week (before the SAG-AFTRA strike but while the WGA was already striking) after the show was nominated for eight Emmy awards.
“It’s been very difficult for this show to keep going while the [writers’] strike is happening.” Luna said. He added, “I just wish and hope the demands get resolved, that this strike ends and that all these families and this industry finds a way to move forward where there’s balance. It’s difficult times, but I do think that it’s a great example of what we are capable of when people actually find a way to unite around something, and to raise their voice and think about others.”
The fallout from the actors’ strike will continue. The London premiere of “Oppenheimer” was moved up an hour on Thursday so the actors could finish the red carpet before the strike was potentially called. (The actors walked out of the premiere when news of the strike broke.) Though many publicity teams worked to squeeze in junkets and any press opportunities ahead of the strike, upcoming projects such as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “Gran Turismo,” “Haunted Mansion” and the “Star Wars” TV series “Ahsoka” will see their promotion curtailed without stars for junkets, television interviews, premieres and red carpets.
The fall film festival season, with events in Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York, all crucial launch pads for awards-season hopefuls, also could be impacted. L.A.’s Outfest began on Thursday night and is forging ahead with this year’s event. In a statement, Outfest’s organizers said, “We acknowledge our industry is currently facing severe challenges.”
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