The Hollywood Screenwriters Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached an agreement in principle for the creation of a new collective agreement that opens the door to the possibility of ending the strike. The WGA indicated in a statement posted on the networks that the possible pact addresses all the key issues of the negotiation, but its final drafting is pending. The resolution allows us to glimpse the light at the end of the tunnel for Hollywoodwhich has kept most of its productions on hold due to stoppages, but the studios still have to negotiate with the actors guild (SAG-AFTRA).

According to the digital IndieWire, although no screenwriter should return to work until the contract is ratified, pickets are suspended. However, the WGA did encourage the scriptwriters to join the actors this week. The WGA pointed out that what was gained in the new contract, which was not specified, has been the result of the will of all its members to exercise their power, demonstrate their solidarity and endure the uncertainty and “pain” of these last 146 days.

The writers’ union only stated that what has been achieved is “exceptional” and thanked its members for the echo of their strike and the support of other unions that had managed to get the studios back to the negotiating table. The WGA asked for patience this Sunday: “Now it remains for our staff to ensure that everything agreed upon is in the final language of the contract. Although we are eager to share the details, we cannot do so until all points have been put in place. the i’s,” said the committee

negotiator, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

The final agreement must be validated first by said committee and subsequently by the union boards in the east and west of the country. That vote could in principle take place on Tuesday, and If positive, a decision would be made on when to end the strike.

The WGA began its break on May 2 with the demand for better working conditions, regulation of artificial intelligence and fair payments every time any of your work is reissued, the so-called residual rights. On July 14, the actors joined for similar reasons. Throughout this time, scriptwriters and actors have gathered in front of the headquarters of the main studios.

The fact that neither the actors nor the writers could promote the projects in which they had participated delayed premieres of expected titles such as “Dune: Part Two”, by Denis Villeneuve, or “Challengers”, by Luca Guadagnino, both scheduled for the second semester of 2023 and which now expect its premiere in 2024.

However, the actors’ union has not had any contact with the AMPTP since last July 12, when the negotiations for their collective agreement ended abruptly and without consensus. For more than four months, the scriptwriters have demanded from the studios a minimum staff for the so-called “mini rooms”, as the rooms are known where scripts are written for series that have not yet been approved. Also increases in the residual rights rate and that this was subject to the real number of accumulated reproductions.

Another fundamental point fell on the writers’ demand that the studios not allow the artificial intelligence systems to train with the scripts of other professionals and that will ensure the protection of your salary and their credit as original creators. The actors’ union congratulated the screenwriters’ union this Sunday and made it clear that their strike continues.

“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s agreement in principle, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members,” he said in a statement. The SAG-AFTRA urged the directors of the studios and the streaming platforms to resume negotiations to achieve the “fair agreement” that the performers “demand and deserve.”