It’s been about a week since SAG-AFTRA officially called for an actors strike, and it’s been sending additional shockwaves throughout Hollywood along with the 2023 WGA Writers Strike raging on too. But as it turns out, not every major actor is sitting things out to walk the picket line, as we’ve learned that stars such as Jenna Ortega, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and more have been given the go-ahead to resume work on their projects thanks to a loophole of sorts.
On Wednesday, a list of productions were released by SAG-AFTRA that have signed an “interim agreement” with the Screen Actors Guild that allows certain productions to resume work without violating the strike order. These productions that have signed the interim agreement and are posted on the site are reportedly completely independent – meaning they are not operating under a studio contract. Currently, 45 projects are on that list.
Among the productions that were approved are projects that star some major movie stars. Death of a Unicorn for one, is an A24 film that is set to star Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who accidentally run over a unicorn on their way home. The movie was set to start shooting in Hungary from a script by Alex Scharfman, who is also directing, and now will continue to do so. A24 is not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which SAG-AFTRA has been in negotiations with, therefore many of the studios productions could resume as scheduled.
George Clooney Issues Response To SAG-AFTRA Joining The Strike
Another movie of note that's been greenlit to continue production is The Rivals of Amziah King, a crime thriller starring Matthew McConaughey, since it's being fully financed by Black Bear Pictures. Additionally, there's David Lowery’s Mother Mary, another A24 movie, where Anne Hathaway will play a fictional musician and Michaela Coel will co-star as an iconic fashion designer. The movie has been described as an “epic pop melodrama” and is being financed by A24 and Topic Studios.
Other movies set to remain in production amidst the actors strike is Owen Wilson’s action comedy Bride Hard, a movie called Dust Bunny starring Mads Mikkelsen and Sigourney Weaver, and another action comedy called The Killer’s Game with Sofia Boutella, Scott Adkins, Dave Bautista, Ben Kingsley, and Ice Cube. Additionally, the upcoming horror movie The Watchers, which is set to star Dakota Fanning and be the directorial feature debut of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Shyamalan, is also set to still roll cameras.
As actors like Mandy Moore have spoken out from the picket line about not getting residuals for their work, and one report about studios trying to get AI likenesses reminded us too much of a recent Black Mirror episode, it sounds like the independent movie space is getting a chance to resume work as usual at least. Stay tuned for more updates.
