The time has come for history to repeat itself, as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are officially on strike. This comes 15 years after the same movement from November 2007 to February 2008, which saw film and television screenwriters going on strike for fairer and higher wages.
Fast forward to current day, and it’s deja vu all over again. The scribes of Hollywood have banded together to protest for better rights following weeks of unfruitful negotiations, with any film or television project written by a WGA member being put on pause. The trickle effect is already in place: Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and other late-night shows have already cancelled new episodes, while popular sketch Saturday Night Live is now being shut down indefinitely.
In support of the writers, the Cobra Kai team has announced their involvement in the strike, confirming that no additional words will be written on Season 6 until an agreement is reached. “We hate to strike, but if we must, we strike hard. Pencils down in the Cobra Kai writers room. No writers on set,” reads a Twitter post by showrunner Jon Hurwitz. “These aren’t fun times, but it’s unfortunately necessary. The moment a fair deal is in place, we’ll get back to kicking a**. In the meantime, sending strength and support to the negotiating committee. You got this.”
The show joins ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, which is heading into its third season, in halting work. Conversely, the sequel to House of the Dragon won’t be affected by the strike, with Variety reporting that all scripts had already been finalised for some time. This means Season 2 can continue filming as planned.
It’s unclear when the country-wide strike will come to an end, but the previous movement lasted just a little over three months. For the past to four weeks, the WGA has been in negotiations with Hollywood studios to provide writers with higher pay, improved working conditions, steadier income, and protection against the use of AI tools. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMTPT), however, refused to accept some of these terms, prompting writers from all around the U.S. to take action.