SAG-AFTRA Strikes, Yet Independent Films Keep Rolling Amid Waivers

SAG-AFTRA, after launching a strike against Hollywood studios on July 14, has initiated an interim agreements program that allows independent productions, without direct ties to members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), to proceed with filming. This development came after the guild failed to agree on a new film and TV contract with the AMPTP, leading to the initiation of the strike.

Since its commencement, SAG-AFTRA has been dynamically adding to the list of projects granted waivers. According to the guild, under these terms, their members are permitted to work on the specified productions without comprising the strike order.

Starting July 27, SAG-AFTRA commenced granting casting-specific waivers. With these permissions, members are allowed to audition and engage in negotiations regarding casting for their productions, though they must not yet initiate travels, rehearsals, or any other services connected to the production.

Among the prominent projects on the waiver list are Angel Studios’ Bible-based series The Chosen; the A24 films Mother Mary and I Dream of Unicorns; and Apple TV+’s Tehran. Actors benefiting from these agreements encompass household names like Anne Hathaway, Dakota Fanning, Glenn Close, James Badge Dale, Ben Foster, Graham Greene, and Melissa Leo among others. Films from famed directors such as Guy Ritchie and Destry Allyn Spielberg have also been granted casting waivers.

Among the extensive list organized by film and series based on the SAG-AFTRA list include: 3-2 Pulldown, Adult Best Friends, American Deadbolt, Beneath the Grass, Bob Trevino Likes It, Fairy, Growing Pains, King of Hearts, Magic Farm, Mother Mary, Rebel Girl, The Penguin And The Fisherman, Untitled Guy Ritchie Project, and many more. The list also consists of casting waivers for projects like Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Fairwood, Tehran, and When Calls The Heart among others.

Now that we've armed you with the facts, let's shoot the breeze, shall we?

If this isn't a vivid illustration of the adage 'the show must go on,' then I don't know what is. Oh, how we yearn for simpler times when actors bemoaned ridiculous casting typecasts turned into memes and writers groaned about last-minute rewrites, but alas, so is the teeter-totter of the entertainment industry.

Behind the red carpets, flashy premieres, and blockbuster earnings is an industry unbeknownst to many: fraught with contractual disputes and labor rights. It goes to show you that Hollywood isn't all glitz and glamour, it's also strikes and waivers.

Of course, when stumbling upon the terms ‘strike’ and ‘Hollywood’ in the same sentence, the immediate impulse is to envisage a dystopian entertainment landscape, drained of its glitz and glamour. Yet, looking at the list of projects still greenlit and the magnitude of talent still tapped, it's clear that Tinseltown still has its magic wand firmly in hand.

Moreover, when setting your sights on Apple TV+’s Tehran or Angel Studios’ Bible-based series, The Chosen - it’s not about cherishing who’s currently on strike or musing who might be next. Perhaps, it's about celebrating the work, the art form that’s still illuminating our screens amid trying times.

It's said that when one door closes, another one opens. This waiver list might just be evidence of that. From industry giants to budding talents, pragmatic adjustments like these waivers are helping to keep the arts alive. And in an era marred by pauses and uncertainty, this, my dear readers, deserves a standing ovation. In the cutthroat jungle of Hollywood, where the survival of the fittest is not merely a saying but a way of life, it’s refreshing to see that even in strife, the spotlight continues to shine.