Photo:Todd Williamson/NBC/NBC/Getty ; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Todd Williamson/NBC/NBC/Getty ; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
While most Hollywood productions are paused amid both theSAG-AFTRAandWGA strikes, a handful of projects will continue filming.
Dozens of truly independent productions have been approved for SAG-AFTRA’sinterim agreement, which allows members to resume filming without violating strike terms.
Meanwhile, some shows likeHouse of the Dragonhave continued filming in the U.K., as the cast is primarily composed of U.K. actors who fall under a different union.
The strike started on July 13 whenSAG-AFTRA announced negotiationshad failed with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Actors joined writers, who are also striking,on picket linesthe following day.
Why are some productions allowed to continue filming amid the SAG-AFTRA strike?
Michael Loccisano/Getty
SAG-AFTRA has approved some productions with no direct ties to AMPTP members (which include major studios and streaming platforms) to resume or start filming.
The interim agreement is a separate, 70-page contract that producers must sign that includes all the terms and conditions in the union’s last offer to studios and streamers.
SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, spoke about the process toDeadline, explaining that for each potential agreement granted, the union considers several factors, including, “fundamentally, are there AMPTP fingerprints on the project or not? If there aren’t and we verify that through our staff, who review these things, then they’ll be eligible for an interim agreement.”
He added, “If there are AMPTP connections to the project, then they won’t be. That’s the big picture answer.”
Meanwhile, some foreign projects can continue filming without needing interim agreements if the productions fall under a different union and don’t involve SAG-AFTRA members. For example,House of the Dragonand Eddie Redmayne’sDay of the Jackalare both under Equity, the British union equivalent of SAG.
While Equity shared in a statement that they have “unwavering solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA, they cannot legally encourage their members to go on strike as British law forbids them from staging a sympathy strike.
However, Equity’s leader Paul FlemingtoldDeadlinethat their union will “use every means possible and legal to support [the strike].”
He added, “We are not going to have the UK used as a backdoor to undermine SAG-AFTRA’s dispute.”
A month later, as of Aug. 14, SAG-AFTRA announced they will no longer grant interim agreements to independent projects that were written under WGA contracts,perVariety. While originally SAG-AFTRA argued the agreements supported the strike because the independent producers agreed to the union’s demands, they amended their statement to support and stand in solidarity with WGA members.
The over 200 projects already approved would not be affected, they added.
Ollie Upton/HBO
House of the Dragon
The HBOGame of Thronesspin-off will continue to shoot as filming takes place in the U.K. and the actors primarily work under Equity contracts. Though the showrunner, Ryan Condal, is a WGA member, he has remained on set and continued his duties without writing, since the scripts were finished months ago,perVanity Fair.
House of the Dragonis therefore still expected to premiere in the summer of 2024.
Mother Mary
Deadlineannouncedin March 2023 that Hathaway would be starring alongsideMichaela CoelinGreen Knightdirector David Lowery’s next film,Mother Mary.
The Rivals of Amziah King
The McConaughey-led film, which has been shooting in Alabama since June 2023, was granted an interim agreement to continue filming on July 14, as it’s not tied to AMPTP.
Death of a Unicorn
Bride Hard
This independent comedy starringRebel Wilsonwas one of the first productions to announce it entered an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA. The independently financed project is currently in production in Georgia, and stars Wilson as “badass secret agent Sam who has been tasked with one of her hardest missions yet – being a Maid of Honor for her childhood best friend.”
PerDeadline, it will debut at the Cannes Film Festival next year.
The Chosen
The Chosen, a faith-based show that airs on its own site and recently premiered on The CW, was in the midst of shooting its fourth season when the SAG-AFTRA strike commenced. The series was thefirst to announcethat it had been allowed to continue via a tweet from its official Twitter account on July 17.
“As an independent show with two weeks remaining to film our current season, we appreciate SAG’s recognition that not all productions are the same,” show creator Dallas JenkinstoldDeadline. “We’ve agreed to all the terms of their current interim agreement.”
While Lionsgate bought distribution rights to the show’s first three seasons, the producers declined to comment on whether the deal also includes the fourth season. They did note, however, that the Lionsgate deal was not an impediment to getting their agreement.
Tehran
He added that there are “multiple national laws” that apply to how the union addresses striking the production, which is something SAG-AFTRA considers when deciding whether to grant an interim agreement.
“So, there might be productions that have distribution through AMPTP companies, that nonetheless are eligible for interim agreements,” he explained of the loophole. “I don’t think you’ll see that be true a lot, but that might be the case in some cases.”
When Calls the Heart
Will additional productions be granted interim agreements?
“Everyone needs to be investigated and evaluated individually because obviously the question of ‘Are there AMPTP fingerprints or connections to the project?’ is a very specific question,” he explained toDeadline. “That means it takes a few days to a week depending on volume, maybe a little more for us to evaluate whether a project can receive an interim agreement.”
However, per SAG-AFTRA’s Aug. 14 announcement, interim agreements will no longer be granted to independent projects if they were written under a WGA contract.
Which other productions can continue to film?
Nicole Weingart/Bravo
While soap actors are part of the SAG-AFTRA union, they have a contract with the National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, also known as the Network Code or Netcode.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netcode operates contracts with soaps likeGeneral Hospital,Days of Our Lives,The Young and the RestlessandThe Bold and The Beautiful. Those contracts will run for another year, through July 2024.
source: people.com
