EXCLUSIVE: Christopher Nolan, it’s your turn up at bat.
The DGA boss and his union are now the final major Hollywood guild not to make a deal with the studios and streamers, as SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP today have reached an agreement on a new contract, we hear. No one has made it official yet, but after a week-long second round of talks, the Sean Astin-led actors’ guild and the Greg Hessinger-run organization have come to a bigger and cash-injected deal.
Specifically, SAG-AFTRA has joined the ranks of the WGA and now signed a full four-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Additionally, labor sources tell us, SAG-AFTRA has received a “sizable” contribution to its pension fund from the AMPTP.
This follows the WGA also agreeing to an extended-length contract with the studios and streamers last month in its own negotiations, as well as accepting a multi-million contribution to its ailing healthcare plan. As well, there were a series of AI “guardrail” measures put in place between both SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP parties.
Neither the AMPTP nor SAG-AFTRA have responded to request for comment from Deadline on the new deal. However, it looks like an official announcement will come later today or first thing Sunday.
The DGA are set to sit down with the AMPTP May 11.
The news comes after last week’s resumption of talks between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, after the guild had previously paused negotiations to make way for the WGA in March. Both guild and union sources had told Deadline that they’re not far off from a deal, but a few key issues still needed to be ironed out.
Part of the bargaining included AI protections, about which executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland was adamant. Sources told Deadline he was not willing to agree to the AMPTP’s requested lengthier contract unless the studios conceded more on artificial intelligence.
In early April, the WGA and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement, which included AI safeguards and an uptick in fees and residuals for streaming. However, the guild was not able to increase writers’ room sizes. Insiders described the negotiations as congenial and collaborative, as the two sides reached a deal relatively quickly. At the end of that month, the WGA officially ratified its provisional deal, with a 90% approval rate but significant voter downturn. Underpinning the WGA’s focus on acquiring a speedy deal is the WGA West‘s ongoing staff strike, as the two sides seem to have come to an impasse.
Katie Campione contributed to this report.
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