Host Seth Meyers during Corrections on April 7, 2023.
Lloyd Barrell | Nbcuniversal | Getty Images
Now that the Hollywood writers’ strike is over, late night hosts are preparing their first opening monologues since May, and actors are going back to the negotiating table with studios.
After nearly 150 days on the picket lines, the Writers Guild of America struck a tentative take care of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers last week, allowing writers to return to work and striking actors to begin up their negotiations. WGA membership is currently within the technique of voting on the contract, with expectations that ratification will come late next week.
The primary to return are late night heavyweights Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert on Monday, followed by John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” on Sunday.
Meyers, host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” spent much of his pre-strike shows commenting on former President Donald Trump’s compounding legal problems. He noted that his first show back might be an hour-long “Closer Look” segment, a recap of stories items from through the strike.
“I’m so excited to be back, but I didn’t listen to the news in any respect the last five months … I hope I didn’t miss like three indictments,” Meyers joked on “TODAY” Monday.
The WGA secured pay increases in each of the following three years, artificial intelligence restrictions and a recent residual system for streaming based on viewership. The guild also negotiated higher contribution rates to health advantages and pensions, in addition to a guaranteed variety of writers in writers rooms for television shows.
Now it is the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists’ turn.
The actors guild begins its negotiations with the likes of Disney, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday.
SAG-AFTRA is trying to improve wages, working conditions and health and pension advantages, in addition to establish guardrails for the usage of AI in future television and film productions. Moreover, the union is in search of more transparency from streaming services about viewership in order that residual payments might be made equitable to linear TV. The guild can also be trying to standardize the self-tape process.
Industry players expect the negotiations might be quick, now that SAG-AFTRA has the WGA deal as a template.
Not so fast
Still, even when a tentative agreement is reached in the following few weeks, Hollywood might be slow to restart production on movies and tv shows. Not only will SAG-AFTRA members must vote on the brand new contract, which could take every week or more, but there might be a scramble to collect crews and forged back to set.
In a situation that may be just like the return from pandemic restrictions, productions might be competing for studio space, locations and talent schedules. This might change into increasingly tricky as the vacation season approaches, a time when production typically slows down.
Moreover, productions that were shooting internationally through the strike, like Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice 2,” Universal’s “Wicked,” and Disney and Marvel’s “Deadpool 3,” might have to attend for those crews to wrap up projects before returning to work on U.S.-based productions.
Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson star in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of “Dune.”
Warner Bros.
Some studios have already indicated that they’ll wait until next 12 months to resume production. Because of this post-production processes may also be delayed — including, editing and computer graphics. It’s unclear what impact that might have on the discharge calendar for upcoming film and TV shows.
Already, Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment’s “Dune: Part Two” fled to 2024 as did Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” and “Ghosbusters: Afterlife” sequel.
And far of the explanation “Dune: Part Two” departed the calendar was because its forged couldn’t promote the film through the strike. Once SAG-AFTRA makes a take care of the AMPTP, those stars will give you the chance to return to late night to drum up interest for movies.
That could possibly be particularly essential for Academy Award hopefuls set for release later this 12 months.
Within the meantime, late night hosts will look elsewhere for guests. Meyers said viewers can expect to see politicians, journalists and authors as guests on the show until actors are permitted to advertise their upcoming projects.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is a member of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. NBCUniversal is the distributor of “Wicked” and “The Late Show with Seth Meyers.”
