The Writers’ Guild of America strike has been ongoing since May 2nd, 2023.
Showrunner of Andor, Tony Gilroy, ceased all non-writing duties on season two when the strike began. Genevieve O’Reilly was recently IFTA-nominated for Actress In A Supporting Role (Drama) for her role in the first season. She is part of the returning cast for the second season, along with Denise Gough (The Other Lamb).
“I discontinued all writing and writing-related work on Andor prior to midnight, May 1,” Gilroy told the Hollywood Reporter. “After being briefed on the Saturday showrunner meeting, I informed Chris Keyser at the WGA on Sunday morning that I would also be ceasing all non-writing producing functions.”
Similarly, writing for the eighth and final season of Outlander was complete prior to the WGA strike, but all work on the project has been delayed following the strike. Speaking at a premiere panel at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, executive producer Maril Davis said they stand “in solidarity” with the writers. Caitriona Balfe was IFTA-nominated for Actress In A Lead Role (Drama) for her performance in the most recent season.
Production on The Penguin TV series, a spin-off of The Batman led by IFTA winner Colin Farrell, has also halted. According to Deadline, production will continue to be halted until the strike ends.
As previously reported by IFTN, filming on the Amazon Studios’ series Blade Runner 2099 in Belfast has been delayed due to the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America strike. Northern Ireland Screen confirmed the delay in a statement, and BBC NI News reported that filming is “unlikely to resume before spring 2024”.
Amazon Studios’ The Rings of Power season 2 finished production without showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and the writers on set. Decisions for the final 14 days of production were made by non-writing executive producers, directors, and crew working on set in the U.K. IFTN previously reported the addition of Ciarán Hinds (Kin) joins the ensemble cast this season.
The filming of Euphoria season 3, which is believed to be shooting in several European locations including Ireland, has also been delayed by the strike. There was already going to be an extended gap between the second and third seasons due to showrunner Sam Levinson serving as showrunner on The Idol as well, but this break has been further extended by the strike, as writing on the third season had not concluded before May 2nd, 2023, the deadline for a new agreement to be met.
Production on the final season of Stranger Things has also halted, which series showrunners The Duffer Brothers announced on May 6th, stating “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.”
This affects Irish VFX house Screen Scene VFX who have previously produced special effects used in the Netflix series. Ed Bruce and Jim O'Hagan were recently nominated for an IFTA for their work on the series.
The WGA strike is still ongoing, with a possible SAG-AFTRA strike on the horizon if upcoming contract talks do not produce a satisfactory agreement by June 30th. The most recent WGA strike lasted 14 weeks and 2 days between 2007 and 2008, and the longest WGA strike to date lasted 22 weeks in 1988.
