EXCLUSIVE: Amid mounting speculation of internal divisions within the C-suites and a lack of any clear path forward to resolve the ongoing writers and actors strikes, the top executives of Hollywood’s largest studios are set to convene today. Disney’s Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, Amazon Studios’ Mike Hopkins and Jennifer Salke, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, Universal’s Donna Langley, and Warner Bros Discovery’s David Zaslav are among those scheduled to attend the virtual meeting later today, according to sources. Notably absent from the meeting will be Mouse House CEO Bob Iger, who has chosen to let Walden and Bergman take the lead in handling the labor actions. It seems that Iger’s decision is part of a larger CEO strategy to maintain some distance and intervene directly at the appropriate time.
It remains uncertain whether AMPTP President Carol Lombardini will be present at today’s meeting. The fallout from the disastrous August 22 meeting involving Iger, Sarandos, Langley, Zaslav, Lombardini, WGA negotiators, and the subsequent release of the studios’ latest proposal has led to no new negotiations with the guild. Furthermore, the WGA rejected the deal and described it as “neither nothing, nor nearly enough,” resulting in a significant level of mistrust between the parties. As a result, the WGA and the AMPTP are far from reaching an agreement to end the 121-day writers’ strike, not to mention the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which is now in its 48th day.
The AMPTP has stated that it is awaiting the WGA’s official response to the August 11 offer, while the guild claims to have made a counteroffer on August 15 and is now waiting for the studios and streamers to respond.
All of this means that the newly hired crisis PR firm, the Levinson Group, may find its primary task to be managing the tensions between the studio CEOs as the writers’ strike enters its fourth month. “Previously, some wanted to blame Carol and accused her of using an outdated playbook,” says an individual familiar with the divisions among the studio and streamer bosses. “Now, they only have themselves to blame for how bad things look. That’s why they brought in the Levinson Group, and that’s why they are squabbling.”
According to several sources, it was streaming giant Sarandos who delivered a lecture to WGA leaders at the recent gathering, emphasizing the need to accept the AMPTP’s latest offer. While Sarandos was certainly not submissive, it was Iger who emerged as “the loudest voice in the room” during the August 22 meeting with the other CEOs and WGA representatives. However, this approach backfired spectacularly, especially when the studios publicly released their offer on the same night. “Thin-skinned” Iger and Zaslav, in particular, are reportedly “stunned” by the level of criticism they have faced from the guild and its members over the past few months. The core CEOs are engaged in a blame game, with everyone looking for someone to hold responsible. This paralysis among the executives is not helping the situation or anyone involved.
Today’s meeting aims to ensure that the CEOs do not inadvertently negotiate against themselves. While there have been reports suggesting that Netflix is willing to make concessions to the WGA on every point, other sources indicate that Hollywood’s top brass are aligned in their approach to dealing with the guilds.
RELATED: Movie Release Date Calendar For 2023
Additionally, some major studio executives are concerned that even if a deal is reached in the coming weeks and production resumes in the new year, there may be a dry spell in the theatrical release calendar, similar to last year’s post-production logjam caused by Covid. Some movies slated for release in Q4 and Q1 require additional dialogue recording (ADR), and if the strikes continue, their release dates could be pushed back. For the industry’s top leaders, the longer the strikes persist, the fewer films and TV shows will be produced in the next calendar year, resulting in fewer job opportunities.
“These executives are worried about what comes after the strike,” says another well-placed source. “Remember, they are competitors, always thinking about how to outdo each other. The strikes don’t change that.”
