What films and TV shows will the Hollywood strike shut down?

What films and TV shows will the Hollywood strike shut down? How British viewers’ favourite programmes will be affected by actor walkout

• SAG-AFTRA union has voted for its 160,000 members to stop work from today
• Filming has halted on the Buckinghamshire set of Wicked today due to the strike
• Blockbusters including Deadpool 3 and Andor are also being filmed in the UK 

Hollywood is set to grind to a halt as the US actors’ union announced that it will take strike action for the first time since 1980. 

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced yesterday that it had voted for its 160,000 members across film, television and radio to stop working from 8am BST (12am Pacific Time) this morning. 

The strike is expected to have a global impact given that SAG-AFTRA has members all over the world and it could delay the release dates of blockbusters in the UK. 

Filming has already halted on the Buckinghamshire set of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande, while other blockbusters in the UK including Deadpool 3, Beetlejuice 2 and Star Wars spin off Andor also face being pushed back. 

So what other films and TV shows could the Hollywood strike cause to shut down and how will British viewers’ favourite programmes be affected?

Hugh Jackman was spotted earlier this week filming his first scenes for his anticipated role in Deadpool 3 alongside Ryan Reynolds

The filming for upcoming blockbuster Wicked (set in Buckinghamshire pictured) was stopped last night after the union representing Hollywood actors formally announced a strike

Star Wars spin off Andor is also being filmed in the UK and faces being pushed back

Which movies face being shut down?

A number of major film and TV projects that are currently being filmed or are being produced in the UK may be affected by the strike. 

The new film Wicked starring US singer Ariana Grande, actress Cynthia Erivo, Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, which is being shot in a village in Buckinghamshire has already been affected. 

The set appeared like a ghost town on Friday after it was abandoned last night following the announcement of the industrial action. The film currently has a release date for November 27 next year. 

Among them is superhero blockbuster Deadpool 3, starring Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman – which may have its scheduled release date of May 3 2024 significantly impacted by the strike.

The third instalment to the Marvel series began filming in London earlier this month, with the official Deadpool Twitter account even sharing a sneak peak of actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on set on Monday. 

Other UK productions include Beetlejuice 2 which has also kicked off filming in Buckinghamshire, according to some leaked set photos. 

The sequel to the 1988 fantasy-comedy is set to come out in September 2024, and will see Michael Keaton return as the ghost with the most and Winona Ryder reprise her role as Lydia Deetz. Jenna Ortega has also joined the cast as Lydia’s daughter. 

Vampire comedy The Radleys, starring Damian Lewis and Line of Duty star Kelly Macdonald, is currently filming in Yorkshire while psychological thriller Speak No Evil, with James McAvoy, is filming in Gloucester. 

The former is expected to hit cinemas sometime in 2024, while the latter has a release date of August 9 2024, but both may be affected by the strikes.

Other films that are currently being filmed in the UK include Amateur, starring Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan and Laurence Fishburne as well as the romantic comedy The Gorge, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy.

Filming for Gladiator 2, which started in June, is also partly taking place in UK – as well as in Malta and Morocco – and so could be affected.

Hugh Jackman is reprising his role as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 after last playing the role in 2017’s Logan

The film may have its scheduled release date of May 3 2024 impacted by the strike

The set of Wicked starring Ariana Grande in Buckinghamshire, where filming was forced to stop last night amid a Hollywood strike 

Set of Wicked in Buckinghamshire looks like a ghost town after filming was abandoned due to a strike in Hollywood 

The film, which also features actress Cynthia Erivo, Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, currently has a release date for November 27 next year 

What does it mean for your favourite TV programmes?

Disney’s Andor series two is another big TV production that could be impacted by strike action. It began filming in London earlier this year, with a release date earmarked for August 2024. 

The Star Wars spin off was well received among fans when it was released on Disney Plus earlier this year and features well known Hollywood names including Diego Luna, Forest Whitaker and Stellan Skarsgård. 

Filming for the BBC TV show Boiling Point, which is set six months after the 2021 film of the same name, is also underway in Manchester. It will see Stephen Graham reprise his role as a troubled head chef and is expected to air later this year.

One series that is expected to steer clear of any delays is the second series of hit HBO TV series House Of The Dragon, which is currnently filming in north Wales and is expected to come out in summer 2024.

According to Variety, the Game of Thrones prequel can continue filming as many of the Birtish-led cast, which includes Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith, are working under contracts governed by the UK union, Equity.

Pictures from the set, in an undisclosed location in Britain, this morning showed crew members preparing for another day of shooting. 

The second series of the Netflix comic book series The Sandman is also currently filming in Shepperton with its top billed cast including the likes of Tom Sturridge, Patton Oswalt and Boyd Holbrook.

Spy thriller The Day Of The Jackal starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, period boxing drama A Thousand Blows and the fourth series of Slow Horses, with Academy Award winner Gary Oldman, are also being filmed in the UK and may be affected.

Fortunately for fans of The Lord of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, the second season has just recently finished filming – in good news for Amazon which is expected to spend more than $1billion producing the series.

Andor Season 2 Filming In London With Diego Luna (pictured left) And Stellan Skarsgard (pictured right)

The series is another big TV production that could be impacted by strike action (Pictured: Diego Luna alongside co-star Adria Arjona)

Actors and extras, including Aliens were seen at the Barbican Centre filming for the Star Wars spin off earlier this year

One series that is expected to steer clear of any delays is the second series of hit HBO TV series House Of The Dragon

According to Variety, the Game of Thrones prequel can continue filming as many of the Birtish-led cast are working under contracts governed by the UK union, Equity (Pictured: Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen left and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen from House of the Dragon)

Does the US action affect British programmes? 

SAG-AFTRA has members all over the world, all of whom are expected to respect the decisions of the union.

‘Simply put, a SAG-AFTRA member must always work under a union contract around the globe,’ the union’s website states.

Under the rules of the strike, members of SAG-AFTRA will not be able to film any movie or TV series, take part in any press or film premieres or promote anything at this month’s San Diego Comic-Con.

The annual convention was due to take place between July 20 and July 23 but could now be rescheduled or scaled back along with other promotional events such as the Emmys .

It is the union’s first major members’ strike in over 40 years and comes as over 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also remain on strike, having begun their own action on May 2.

The strike has been called after SAG-AFTRA failed to negotiate new contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Negotiations with the AMPTP had been going on for more than four weeks, and the contracts expired at midnight Pacific Time (8am UK time) on Wednesday, having been pushed back previously from June 30.

Issues up for negotiation included base compensation, which actors say has been undercut by inflation and the streaming services, the threat of unregulated use of artificial intelligence, and benefit plans.

In a previous statement, SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher said the AMPTP’s response to the union’s proposals had been ‘insulting and disrespectful of our massive contributions to this industry’.

Several Hollywood stars including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Ben Stiller, have previously expressed their support in favour of strike action, if a deal with AMPTP could not be reached.

The union’s Global Rule One states: ‘No member shall render any services or make an agreement to perform services for any employer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the union.’

It clarifies that members do not work without a contract in films, scripted television, commercials, non-broadcast, interactive, new media, independent and student film productions, among others.

SAG-AFTRA union President Fran Drescher speaks next to Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, at SAG-AFTRA offices on Thursday – after negotiations ended with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the entity that represents major studios and streamers

A sign reads ‘SAG-AFTRA Supports WGA’ as SAG-AFTRA members walk the picket line in solidarity with striking WGA (Writers Guild of America) workers outside Netflix offices on July 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group that negotiates on behalf of studios, said it had offered significant gains to union members, reports Reuters. (Pictured: Members of Writers Guild of America (WGA) join Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) to support striking hotel workers in Los Angeles) 

‘If you are behind a microphone or in front of a camera, you should assume that (Global Rule One) applies until and unless an authorised representative of SAG-AFTRA confirms that it does not,’ the union’s website states.

SAG-AFTRA says that it takes the rule ‘very seriously’, with violations resulting in disciplinary action ranging from reprimands, to fines to expulsion from the union.

SAG-AFTRA has not given a time limit for the strike, which is due to begin at midnight Pacific Time (8am UK time) on Friday.

Asked how long the strike would last, Ms Drescher told a Los Angeles press conference: ‘That’s up to (the AMPTP), we are open to talking to them tonight.

‘All of this is because of their behaviour, it’s up to them if they want to talk in a normal way.’

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