Hollywood's historic screenwriters strike, which has gripped the entertainment industry for nearly five months, may be nearing its end as union leaders and studios reached a tentative agreement on Sunday.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) jointly announced this breakthrough. In an email to its members, the WGA stated, "WGA has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP," praising the unwavering support of its members and fellow unions who stood in solidarity during the 146-day strike.
This three-year contract agreement, hammered out during five marathon days of negotiations involving WGA and AMPTP representatives, awaits approval by the guild's board and members before the strike officially concludes. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed, leaving writers in suspense.
This agreement comes just days before the strike could have set a new record as the longest in the guild's history and Hollywood's longest in over seven decades. If approved, this breakthrough could bring nightly network shows like "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" back on air within days.
However, the situation isn't entirely back to normal in Hollywood, as talks between studios and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have yet to resume. Crew members affected by the strike remain without work for the time being.
This resolution was achieved without federal mediators or government intervention, which had been necessary in previous strikes. Key industry figures, including Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, and Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, reportedly played pivotal roles in these negotiations.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass extended her congratulations to both sides and expressed hope that a similar resolution could soon be reached for actors, marking a potential turning point in the ongoing labour disputes within Hollywood.
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