Hollywood Execs Waiting For Writers To Go Broke Before Negotiating

Despite the ongoing writer’s strike, high-level film execs are patiently waiting for the Writers Guild to go broke before negotiating with them.

Ahead of a possible SAG-AFTRA strike, in addition to the Writers Guild fallout, major studios are holding out on making things right. In fact, several insiders spoke with Deadline, revealing that most high-ranking Hollywood CEOs are looking forward to the Writers Guild going completely broke, leaving them forced to return to work.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” one studio executive coldly explained to Deadline, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The strike has been going on for over 70 days and stems from television and film scribers demanding better pay. They are also looking to secure residuals and more stable work in the streaming era. Their absence has slowed the development of several projects. Yet, studios are not interested in talks until at least late October. The guild has offered to meet with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers several times, though no such meeting has taken place. Instead, streaming platforms and networks are turning their attention to foreign content as well as unscripted shows.

However, the harsh director tactics may backfire as the Screen Actors Guild prepares for a possible protest of their own. Their strike is also pushing for improved wages, health benefits, and tighter regulations for the use of artificial intelligence in production. With both writers and talent leaving the workplace, this could force studios to reconsider their stance sooner than October.