Tayyaba
Apple has joined the growing list of entertainment companies that have suspended overall and first-look deals while the Writers Guild of America strike continues. The company’s decision adds to the unease of the strike and could signify a change in the landscape of the entertainment industry.
Who has been affected by Apple’s suspension?
Non-writing producers who are not currently giving services owing to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have been impacted, as with other recent suspensions at Disney, NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. TV, and CBS Studios. A number of contracts have supposedly been canceled, including those for Natalie Portman’s MountainA, the firm she founded with producer Sophie Mas, and Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries. Apple’s spokesperson declined to comment on the situation.
What projects are still ongoing at Apple?
A handful of the streamer’s high-profile collaborations with non-writing producers, like as Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone, which is behind the upcoming Apple series Masters of the Air, are still active. Martin Scorsese, who inked a film and TV agreement with the streaming service in 2020, has also been working hard to finish and promote his upcoming Apple film Killers of the Flower Moon.
In early May, just days into the WGA strike, TV studios suspended the first round of overall and first-look deals, largely with writers. More rolling suspensions have occurred in recent months as more producers completed work on shows during an industry production halt. Recent updates on the strike include the AMPTP and WGA’s decision to finally meet and try to negotiate again next week after a long time.