Looks like Hollywood might finally be able to get back to work. After 118 days of strike action and lots of negotiation, actors union SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, which represents the studios, have made a tentative deal on a new contract for performers. As of the time of writing, the deal will be presented to the SAG-AFTRA board and members to ratify, but the current plan is for the strike to be called off at midnight on Thursday. So for many of you reading this, it'll be over.
Few details of what exactly the new deal entails have emerged yet, but sticking points in the negotiations have included the use of AI and digital scans to replicate performers for little or no renumeration (and use of said scans after the actors' death), and payment levels, particularly on popular shows that are making money for channels and streamers such as Netflix.
And even if the actors do agree to the new three-year contract, that doesn't mean that everything simply gears back up immediately. It'll take time to regroup and get the wheels turning again, with the upcoming holiday period also proving to be a consideration. We'll likely see plenty of movies and TV shows arriving later than originally planned.
But it's a relief to know that the studios finally seem to have made an offer worth considering and that the long period of industrial action can come to an end.