After 118 days on strike, the actors union reaches a tentative agreement with the major film and television studios that would bring an end to the longest actors strike.
- Nov 9, 2023
AceShowbiz - Hollywood will soon be back in action. After a grueling 118 days on strike, SAG-AFTRA has finally reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that would end the actors strike.
In an announcement made on late Wednesday, November 8, the union said the SAG-AFTRA TV/Theatrical Committee approved the agreement in a unanimous vote. With that being said, the strike will officially end at 12:01 A.M. on Thursday, November 9. The agreement next goes to the SAG-AFTRA national board for approval on Friday.
Kevin E. West, a member of the committee, said there were "tears of exhilaration and joy" in the committee room after the contract was approved. "The final vote was unanimous. That's a difficult thing to accomplish," he said when speaking outside union headquarters. "It's honestly been a really long two weeks."
West admitted the final deal is "not perfect - nothing is," but that getting to this outcome was an "extraordinary" achievement. The full details are expected to be released on Friday, after the national board vote.
The news brought relief and joy to actors and filmmakers alike. Celebrating the end of the strike, Kumail Nanjiani took to X, formerly Twitter, to exclaim, "YES!!! Hallelujah. I can tweet a certain trailer that I am VERY EXCITED ABOUT at midnight." He was likely referring to "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" which recently released a teaser trailer and features him among the cast members.
Daniel Dae Kim wrote, "Woo hooo!!!! Let's hope the deal is fair and we can get back to work!" Rosie Perez chimed in, "Say what???? YAY!!! The strike is over!!!!! @sagaftra."
Actor/comedian/director Albert Brooks added, "I can finally say it: watch my documentary Saturday night at 8 on HBO/MAX!" He was talking about his film "Albert Brooks: Defending My Life". He added, "I can't wait for you to see it! Couldn't say a word until now!!"
Filmmaker and DC Studios co-chief and co-CEO James Gunn simply posted a praying hands emoji on Threads. Actress/writer Dani Fernandez wrote, "Union strong. Being both WGA and SAG I have been on strike since May 2nd. Good lord. Thank you to everyone who had our back. Thank you to all my sister unions for joining the lines. Thank you to our strike captains, neg com, and pre guild folks who showed up. Strikes work."
