One anonymous Hollywood executive made it clear that there may be more TV and movie cancellations on the way. After the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, HBO Max and DC Studios quickly began to scrap many of their projects that were either in production or remarkably close to finishing, leaving many industry insiders in the lurch. Supergirl, Minx, and many Arrowverse projects were left with few options after their platforms dropped them without much warning at all, and it meant a severe lack of stability for cast and crew members.
After the cancelation of many Netflix shows in 2022 including Space Force and Warrior Nun, the uproar is still ongoing, but there may be some dire consequences. With so many projects dropping off of streaming platforms without warning, one anonymous Hollywood executive is warning that there may be another writers strike on the way, and it may have severe impacts on the status of many shows that are still in production. In an interview with Deadline, the executive hinted that the strike could very well be coming shortly. Check out their quote below:
“A writers’ strike potentially increases the number of shows canceled before they air,” said one Big Three top exec. “Let’s say a network produces two episodes of a show and they don’t particularly like it and there’s a writers’ strike, f*ck it, why bring it back? I can see that happening a lot over the next few months.”
Why Another Writers' Strike May Be Looming
The continued treatment of shows and movies as replaceable works that can be slashed without warning is becoming a rallying cry for writers, with even Steven DeKnight, the showrunner for Daredevil, calling for huge cancellation penalties and a potential writers strike. After all, the shows are cancelled with little recourse for creators, who dedicate months or years of their life to a project, only to see it disappear with nothing to show for it. For those using the projects to build their resumés and achieve influence in the industry, they are left with nothing to help them secure another job.
The fact that shows are also cancelled after only a short run of two seasons or fewer also wreaks havoc on the industry, because writers often have little idea about why their show is cancelled at all, meaning that they can never predict if they will have a job from one year to the next. Netflix's cancellation rule is its biggest problem, as creators are never given access to the metrics that cause the streaming platform to cancel their shows. With no way to protest the cancellation, the writers are left with no jobs and no security.
What Happened During The 2007-2008 Writers' Strike
If there is a writers strike, it wouldn't be the first. Starting in November 2007, Hollywood's writers began a strike that lasted until February 2008 with all 12,000 writers in the Writers Guild of America taking to the streets to protest their treatment. The strike led to so many canceled shows that it dwarfed even the CW cancellations in 2022. The writers won the opportunity to earn compensation for digital revenue — a necessity in the streaming age and one that had previously eluded them — but it left a dire impact on the industry. Should a writers' strike occur again, there is no way to say how long it could go, but it will likely drum up just as much controversy.
Source: Deadline