Hollywood’s strike enters its final act, as writers reach a deal

Dust-sheetsWGA)WGA cover the sets inside one soundproofed Hollywood studio, as placard-wielding writers and actors make as much noise as they can outside. The covers have been on since May, when America’s writers ; in July the country’s actors on strike. But on September 24th the writers said they had reached a tentative deal with the studios. The stage is now set for the actors to do the same, after which the dust-sheets can be whisked back off.The writers have won meaningful concessions: bonuses for shows that do well on streaming, a format whose success metrics have until now been opaque; higher foreign royalties; and minimum staffing levels for writers’ rooms. The three-year agreement also lays out loose terms governing the use of artificial intelligence, which writers fear could soon churn out blockbuster scripts. The Writers Guild of America ( says the “exceptional” deal is worth $233m a year. The studios are more circumspect. Until the agreement is ratified by a vote among the ’s 11,500 members, which closes on October 9th, both sides have reason to say the deal is a good one for writers.