‘Everything takes time’: SAG-AFTRA and studios reach agreement on new deal

EXCLUSIVE: “It’s a lot to do.”

That’s the word from a well-placed person today on the true status of a new three-year contract between the striking SAG-AFTRA and the studios.

“There’s a lot of unity right now and we’re building on that,” a studio source involved in the talks said of the latest move between the parties. “The details have yet to be ironed out, but we’re moving in the right direction,” a cautious guild insider told Deadline, noting that there are some “important steps” before anything close to a tentative agreement on the table is.

The AMPTP, a quartet of studio executives and guild leaders, has been in direct talks since October 24. Following the studios’ sudden strike on renewed talks on October 11, this latest round of negotiations followed a call from Disney’s Bob Iger to SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland on October 21, the 100th day of the strike .

As Halloween approaches, new rumors are circulating in Tinseltown that a deal is just a day or two away. Numerous sources on both sides tell us that the watchwords of “caution” and “optimism” remain. A studio source advises: “Things are progressing, but everything takes time.”

“Anyone who says a deal is done simply doesn’t know what’s really going on,” an industry figure warned.

For example, we were told that during discussions today between small working groups of lawyers and others on both sides, the Guild did not hear from the AMPTP about its latest proposals until later this afternoon.

To that end, no further formal meetings with Guild President Fran have been scheduled, although SAG-AFTRA told members last night that the parties “will start planning again at the end of the day.” Drescher and national director Crabtree-Ireland, AMPTP boss Carol Lombardini and the CEO Gang of Four.

However, given the current situation, such a meeting may be unnecessary in some respects. As with last weekend’s deliberations, today there is a “constant flow”, for example through a person close to the players, individual discussions and communication between directors and employees. “It’s about relationships, [and] Now trust, this is how we land the plane,” the guild insider noted.

AI and performance-based compensation for streaming show actors remain the biggest obstacles on the way to a tentative deal. In the latter case, the parties in the negotiations seem to be more in the middle, at least when it comes to money. The studios’ most recent proposal called for a 7% increase in minimums, with SAG-AFTRA offering a self-described “comprehensive counter” late last week that lowered minimums to 9% from the previously targeted 11%.

As with this weekend’s talks, Lombardini on Monday advanced the studios’ position in talks with Crabtree-Ireland and others. Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix, David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley were not directly involved as they were last week, but rather participated to varying degrees in the background or were briefed on the state of affairs. But as with the weekend discussions, it is the small working groups that concentrate on specialist topics and have done most of the work in this phase.

Neither SAG-AFTRA nor AMPTP responded to a request for comment on the status of the talks when contacted by Deadline. If they respond, we’ll update this post.

On the 109th day of the actors’ guild strike, both parties withdrew from the official negotiating table on Monday. As Deadline exclusively revealed and confirmed by the guild late Sunday, the two parties decided to “work independently” today as studios considered SAG-AFTRA’s latest proposals after a weekend of virtual discussions.

“It looks like we’re in the final stages,” a senior studio source said Sunday. That sentiment was echoed by a guild source, who said there was “a sense of optimism” that the two sides could reach an agreement in about a week.

On that note, Crabtree-Ireland, the guild’s chief negotiator “anything is possible” when it comes to a deal today, told Deadline there is still a long way to go. “People seem to think we’re at a point where we’re just dotting the i’s and dotting the t’s,” Crabtree-Ireland said of the gossip spreading around town. “That’s not the case; There are significant issues, we’re still working hard to close real gaps,” he added at the protest outside Netflix, noting the disagreements that remain on issues like AI. “But the dialogue was productive and constructive. We just keep going.”

As negotiators worked out the next steps to reach an agreement, SAG-AFTRA members responded forcefully to their union’s request late Sunday to flood the dashed lines today.

In New York, Merritt Wever and David Costabile have just graduated billion, Beanie Feldstein, Gina Gershon, Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto and SAG-AFTRA Director Rebecca Damon were among those on the streets today. Patton Oswalt, Justine Bateman and Star Wars: The Clone Wars“Meredith Salenger was in Los Angeles today with hundreds of other Guild members holding signs in front of studio premises and offices.

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The AI ​​mentioned by Crabtree-Ireland on Monday appears to have once again become a bulwark for agreement.

During the strike, it was important for SAG-AFTRA to obtain proper “informed consent” from artists when using images. “It means artists need to understand what will happen with the digital recreation of their voice,” Crabtree-Ireland said about informed consent at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year. When it comes to AI, SAG-AFTRA is also about protecting extras; The deals of such artists are at risk if studios can use them long-term and at low prices, especially when it comes to franchise content.

As we hear around town, from boardrooms to parking lots and dog parks, studio executives are eager to strike a deal as new TV seasons and film productions remain in limbo. The 2024 theatrical release schedule has already produced major films – Mission: Impossible 8, Elio And Snow White – with greater chance of coming.