It has been just 26 months since some of the most grueling strikes in Hollywood history came to an end.
Now comes the possibility that it will happen all over again.
The contracts that ended the strikes in 2023 are nearing their expiration dates — May 1 for writers and June 30 for actors. On Monday, negotiations began with the studios for new deals.
The sides are negotiating in a Hollywood far different from 2023. Production has slowed significantly industrywide, as many entertainment companies struggle to adjust to the streaming world. Work has dried up for many. At the same time, the rise of generative artificial intelligence has become more central.
The negotiations Monday were between Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the union that represents thousands of actors; and the leaders of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the studios’ bargaining organization. Numerous bargaining sessions are expected in the coming weeks.
“We’re doing everything under our power to keep our members working,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator of the actors union, said in an interview.
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In a statement, the studio alliance said it was “optimistic that, together, we can reach a fair deal that reflects our shared commitment to supporting our industry’s talented performers and promoting long-term stability.”
In March, the Writers Guild of America will begin its discussions with the studios, and the directors union — which did not strike last time — will get in the bargaining room later in the spring.
The dual strikes by the writers and actors unions in 2023 were a first in Hollywood since the early 1960s. Compensation and general working conditions were among the major issues last time. Artificial intelligence was also an issue, and it will come up again this time: Crabtree-Ireland said the union would push for additional guardrails around its use.
Sean Astin, the “Rudy” and “Lord of the Rings” actor who replaced Fran Drescher as the president of SAG-AFTRA last year, said streaming residuals, a type of royalty, would be an additional matter on the bargaining table.
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The writers union has not yet detailed its top priorities, but replenishing the writers’ health care reserves is expected to be one of them.
The studios are expected to have an ask of their own: five-year contracts, two more years than has been typical.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.