With the writer’s strike having ended, the networks and streamers are scrambling to get things up and running so that when the SAG-AFTRA walkout comes to an end, production can get underway ASAP.
This could be an obvious logistical nightmare as a bunch of movies and shows go into production at the same time – leading to projects battling for studio space, competing for talent, and production pipelines being packed to near bursting.
However, it appears many are adopting the same strategy – get moving on the stuff that’s ready to go or was already partly done. This means returning hit shows and films that were either in production or effectively greenlit and ready to film are taking priority over any potential new series or movies earlier along in the development cycle.
According to Variety, movies that saw their film shoots interrupted like “Beetlejuice 2,” “Gladiator 2,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two,” “Deadpool 3,” “Twisters,” and “Juror No. 2” are all expected to get the call to return to the set once the SAG-AFTRA work stoppage ends.
Others like the “Minecraft” film and “Superman: Legacy” with completed scripts are still on track for Spring shoots, whilst script work on “Fast X: Part 2,” “The Batman 2,” “Star Trek 4,” and “Rainbow Six” is expected to get going right away.
On the TV front, networks and streamers are focused on resuming work on either long-running shows or returning hit series with a few big-budget freshman series that were already in preproduction or filming also moving forward.
With “House of the Dragon” able to complete second season production during the strike, HBO is reportedly putting its focus throughout 2024 on getting its other returnees like “The Last of Us,” “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” back on the air rather than any new development.
The same goes for Netflix where the second season of “Wednesday” and the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” are priorities.
Thus those hoping for a rush of dealmaking post-strike are likely in for a shock as new series and films still in the development phase are put on hold or scrapped with development budgets expected to be very lean throughout 2024.
