Hollywood studios and screenwriters announced a tentative deal Sunday night to end the nearly five-month-long strike that has largely shuttered production of film and television in the world’s entertainment hub.
“This was made possible by the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who stood with us for over 146 days,” the writers’ union posted to X, formerly known as Twitter. “More details coming after contract language is finalized.”
Nearly 20,000 writers have been without work or pay since May 2 as negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios, halted over the summer.
Negotiations between the sides made considerable progress in recent weeks, which may be attributed to the presence of four top executives: Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav, Disney’s Bob Iger, NBCUniversal’s Donna Langley and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos.
Striking writers say they were split with producers over issues such as higher residual pay, viewership transparency from streaming services, the size of writing staff on shows and the use of artificial intelligence in the creation of scripts.
The WGA began its strike on May 2 with the Screen Actors Guild joining them in striking on July 14, marking the first time in over 60 years both unions have been on strike at the same time.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass weighed in on the tentative deal.
“I am grateful that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a fair agreement and I’m hopeful that the same can happen soon with the Screen Actors Guild,” Bass said in a statement. “This historic strike impacted so many across Los Angeles and across the nation. Now, we must focus on getting the entertainment industry, and all the small businesses that depend on it, back on their feet and stronger than ever before.”
Governor Gavin Newsom also released a statement about the potential agreement.
“California’s entertainment industry would not be what it is today without our world class writers. For over 100 days, 11,000 writers went on strike over existential threats to their careers and livelihoods — expressing real concerns over the stress and anxiety workers are feeling. I am grateful that the two sides have come together to reach an agreement that benefits all parties involved, and can put a major piece of California’s economy back to work.”
The actors strike has its own issues but there have been no discussions about resuming negotiations with their union yet. Representatives from SAG-AFTRA are still hammering out a deal with AMPTP as actors remain on the picket line.
The WGA strike was nearing record length. If it had lasted until Sept. 30, it would have been the longest strike in the union’s history and the longest Hollywood strike since 1945.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.