Despite optimism, negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and studios are “in their final stages,” but there is no deal tonight

EXCLUSIVE: SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP continued to communicate intermittently Sunday as they moved closer to a possible new deal that could end the 108-day strike.

“There is optimism,” a guild source told Deadline today. “It looks like we’re in the final stages,” added a senior studio source.

Both sides have expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached within a few days, but as previously warned, the situation remains uncertain.

From what we understand, SAG-AFTRA and the studios have gained “significant” traction to close their loophole in so-called performance-based compensation for streaming shows and their casts.

Neither SAG-AFTRA nor AMPTP responded to a request for comment on today’s discussions.

The negotiating teams from both sides – SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator and national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and AMPTP president Carol Lombardini – spoke virtually several times throughout the day. As of yesterday, studio executives — Disney’s Bob Iger, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley — were not on today’s Zoom calls.

There’s a change in mood among studios that were “disappointed” with Friday’s Guild proposal at the start of the weekend to be more optimistic as both sides see potential common ground this week.

“There’s still a list we have to work through,” a knowledgeable insider told us of SAG-AFTRA’s intention to limit residual fair streaming revenue for the 160,000-member union and to protect artists’ image rights related to the protect use of studios. AI. The most difficult point of the agreement that currently needs to be ratified is that both sides agree on the income streams of the actors.

Talks resumed on October 24 after studios suspended them for 12 days, with the majors offering an increase in minimum rates and higher bonuses depending on the success of the streaming content. While finalizing their WGA deal, the studios proposed a 7% increase in minimums, with SAG-AFTRA offering a self-described “comprehensive counter” on Friday that went from an 11% increase to 9% . The studio’s performance-based measure was in response to SAG-AFTRA’s Oct. 11 request to impose an annual fee of 57 cents per subscriber, which Sarandos called a “tax on subscribers” and “a bridge too far.” mentioned.

With three major films alone with a global box office value of $1.5 billion disappearing from the 2024 calendar –Mission impossible 8 and Disney Snow White and Pixar’s Elio – Studios are itching to resume global film and television production, even though they just signed a deal with WGA and writers are already on the job. Exhibition, which suffered losses during the pandemic and accumulated huge debts, fears for its survival next year, as the release calendar no longer meets the target. The big debut title of the summer, Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3is 50% complete and will not be released the first weekend in May. The hope was that filming on the Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman movie would resume in January, though that goal and a new TV season remain in limbo with each passing day of the strike. Once the strike ends, there will be a battle for actors between television and feature film projects. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of their film commitments were relinquished, as their TV series could come first. With Wall Street long predicting a recession, studios are hoping to recoup the $6.5 billion economic loss to the state of California from double strikes.

Last Thursday night, several prolific performers, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jon Hamm, Sarah Paulson, Chelsea Handler and Christian Slater, told the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee that they were willing to keep picking until a fair deal was reached. This maneuver by the actors contradicted a Zoom call two weeks ago between SAG-AFTRA brothers and several award contenders, namely George Clooney, Emma Stone, Robert De Niro and Ariana DeBose, who gave the guild $150 million over three years that was offered to lift a cap. on union dues so that those at the bottom of the call list will benefit first. SAG-AFTRA chief Fran Drescher thanked Clooney, who led the effort, but said the offer was legally inconsistent with the union’s contract and had “no impact on the contract we agreed to.”