The film industry can resume production as the strike has been resolved

Months of strike action had a severe impact on the production of American films and TV series. Movie enthusiasts now have some good news to look forward to. Hollywood screenwriters have officially approved the agreement with the studios, officially ending one of the longest strikes in the history of the American entertainment industry. "99% of WGA (Writers Guild of America) members voted in favor of ratifying" the agreement with the studios, as announced by the guild on social media. Last month, after 148 days of strike, the Writers Guild announced an agreement with major studios that would increase their compensation, which had been affected by the streaming era, and enhance protections against artificial intelligence (AI). There were no doubts that the majority of the 11,500 union members would ratify this agreement, and screenwriters have returned to work, allowing the return of major American talk shows last week.

While the screenwriters have returned to work, approximately 160,000 actors, stunt performers, dancers, and other professionals from both small and big screens who joined the strike in July have not yet reached an agreement with the studios. However, there is hope that the situation will be resolved. Discussions between the striking actors of the major SAG-AFTRA union and Hollywood studio leadership began last week. The salary demands of SAG-AFTRA, as well as their request for guarantees against AI, go beyond those of their screenwriter colleagues. Actors are concerned that AI could be used to clone their voices and images without their consent and without proper compensation.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represented the largest studios in the industry during negotiations with the WGA, welcomed the ratification of the new agreement with screenwriters on Monday, noting that it "represents significant gains and protections" for the writers and constitutes significant progress for the film industry.