Hollywood is officially on after union Sag-Aftra voted unanimously to walk out, following weeks of unsuccessful negotiations.
Months after the , Sag members have now followed suit, with the strike due to begin at midnight PST.
Earlier today, the cast of Oppenheimer , as Christopher Nolan said they were ‘off to write their picket signs’.
According to Deadline, members will officially join picket lines at all the major studios – marking the first dual strike of the WGA and Sag since 1960.
The decision came after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – who represent studios including , Warner Brothers and – failed to produce new contracts.
In a livestream, union president Fran Drescher gave a passionate speech in which she discussed the importance of the movement.
‘This is a very seminal hour for us,’ she said. ‘The gravity of this move is not lost on me.
‘It’s a very serious thing that impacts thousands if not millions of people.
‘This is a moment of history that is a moment of truth. If we don’t stand tall now we are all going to be in trouble.
‘The jig is up AMPTP, we stand tall, you need to wake up and smell the coffee. You cannot exist without us.’
Discussing how long the action could last, Fran replied: ‘That’s up to them, we are open to talking to them tonight.
‘All of this is because of their behaviour, it’s up to them if they want to talk in a normal way.’
Members have been seeking better pay and increased safeguarding around AI rights among their demands.
However, following 12 days of turbulent negotiations, an agreement on a new contract had not been reached in time, sparking action.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists represents 160,000 television and movie actors, .
New seasons of The White Lotus, Emily in Paris, House of the Dragon and Industry could be impacted, while films including Beetlejuice 2, Paddington in Peru and the Gladiator sequel may also be paused.
Just before the strike was confirmed, the cast of Oppenheimer appeared on the red carpet in London for the UK premiere of the film.
However, as the screening was due to begin, director Christopher Nolan revealed that the stars had left in solidarity for the movement.
‘You’ve seen them here earlier on the red carpet,’ he told the audience.
‘Unfortunately, they’re off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by Sag, joining one of my guilds, the Writers Guild, in the struggle for fair wages for working members of the unions, and we support them.’
Matt Damon, who appears in the flick alongside Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt, revealed on the red carpet that they were prepared to go home at a moment’s notice.
‘We talked about it,’ he told Variety. ‘Look, if it’s called now, everyone’s going to walk obviously in solidarity.
‘Once the strike is officially called, [we’re walking].
‘That’s why we moved this [red carpet] up because we know the second it’s called, we’re going home.’
On May 2, thousands of TV and film writers in the WGA staged a walkout after major studios failed to offer an adequate pay deal.
A string of famous faces have since voiced their support for the situation, with Bob Odenkirk, Jane Fonda, Andy Samberg and Colin Farrell among those pictured on picket lines.
