The SAG-AFTRA strike has thrown all of Hollywood into chaos. Filming has shut down on several productions while actors battle for better, more fair contracts with the studios. Issues such as residuals from streaming and AI are some of the biggest issues the union and studios have to hash out to reach an agreement.
The latest film to be officially delayed is Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest, Poor Things. The film was slated for a September release but has now moved to December 8 in the US, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the UK, the film will now release on January 12.
Disney is reportedly reviewing its entire slate of films. Poor Things will still have its world premiere at Venice Film Festival, as will Michael Mann’s Ferrari, David Fincher’s The Killer and Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
Venice Film Festival was forced to find a new opening film as Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama Challengers moved from its September release to April 2024. Challengers also pulled out of Venice at the last minute, leaving festival organisers scrambling to find a new film to open the prestigious festival.
In a chat with Deadline, Alberto Barbera confirmed that Bradley Cooper, the star and director of Netflix’s Maestro, which will premiere at Venice Film Festival, will not be attending the festival due to the strike. The Venice chief also noted that the team behind Challengers felt that they needed Zendaya’s support in particular to launch the film, prompting them to move the film to next year.
Other major blockbusters that might move to next year include Dune Part II, Taika Waititi’s football dramedy Next Goal Wins and Jonathan Majors’ Magazine Dreams. All these films have been slated for November or December releases, but if the strike drags on, we might have a very scarce autumn for films.
This might also throw the 2024 awards season into chaos if actors aren’t allowed to promote their projects. British actors union Equity is expected to update its strike guidance today (26 July).
