Stranger Things creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, also known as the Duffer Brothers, have announced production on the show’s fifth and final season has been halted due to the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike.
The duo made the announcement on Twitter, stating: “Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike.
“We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out.”
The show is among many affected by the recent writers' strike, which was announced on Tuesday by the Writers Guild of America.
The Guild not only hopes to address lower royalty payments during the age of streaming, but also to curb the use of AI in film production in future.
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Members of the Writers Guild of America outside the CBS Television City in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. For the first time in 15 years, Hollywood’s film and TV writers have gone on strike. AP Photo -
Writers of some of the most popular shows on television are striking for higher pay amid rapid changes in the way people watch their programmes and films. Bloomberg -
Members of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists join a picket line in support of the Writers Guild of America outside the Netflix office on Sunset Boulevard. AP Photo -
Zoe Marshall, a board member of the Writers Guild of America, left, outside CBS Television City. AP Photo -
The union is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show and shorter exclusive contracts, among other demands, all conditions it says have been diminished in the content boom driven by streaming. AP Photo -
Placards at the close of a picket by members of The Writers Guild of America outside Walt Disney Studios. AP Photo -
Striking Writers Guild of America workers picket outside the Disney Studios. AFP -
Striking Writers Guild of America workers picket outside the Sunset Bronson Studios building. AFP -
Set dresser Norma Smithee shows her support for striking writers at a rally outside Warner Bros. AP Photo -
Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside Warner Bros. Late-night shows are expected to stop production immediately, while television series and movies scheduled for release later this year and beyond could face major delays. AP Photo
The strike follows weeks of failed negotiations with the major studios — Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount Plus and Sony — under the umbrella of their own trade association, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The Guild described AMPTP’s response as “wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing".
Remarks at this week's Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills by top Hollywood executives have only added further fuel to the fire, with producer Todd Lieberman stating: “In the next three years, you're going to see a movie that was written by AI made ... a good one.”
"Not just scripts. Editing, all of it ... storyboarding a movie, anything," added Fox entertainment chief executive Rob Wade. "AI in the future, maybe not next year or the year after, but if we're talking 10 years? AI is going to be able to do absolutely all of these things."
Several topical daily shows have already begun airing reruns in the place of original programming, and some are expecting the strikes to run into the summer; which could cause several other TV shows to get delayed. Production shut down on the CBS show Evil, after being disrupted by picketers on Friday, and shooting on Billions reportedly ground to a halt in New York, after a line of picketers blocked access to the set.
MTV has also shifted its Movie and TV Awards to a taped, rather than live, broadcast, as host Drew Barrymore stepped down in support of the strikes.
"I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike," Barrymore told Variety.
