Hollywood actors have reached a tentative agreement with major studios to end a months-long strike that has halted the production of hundreds of films and television shows.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) said on Wednesday that its strike would end at midnight (08:00 GMT on Thursday) after negotiators reached a preliminary deal on a new contract
The union said the new three-year contract was valued at more than $1bn and included increases in minimum salaries as well as a new “streaming participation”. The deal would enable members “to build sustainable careers”, it added.
The group’s national board will consider the agreement on Friday, and the union said it would release further details after the meeting.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, who made her name in the hit comedy The Nanny, took to social media to celebrate the outcome.
“We did it!!!!” she wrote on Instagram, thanking members for persevering. “The Billion+ $ Deal! 3X the last contract! New ground was broke[n] everywhere!”
Members of SAG-AFTRA walked off the job in mid-July asking for an increase in minimum salaries, a share of streaming service revenue and protection from being replaced by “digital replicas” generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
