It’s been almost a week since the Writers Guild of America went on strike and not all Hollywood productions have reacted the same way. Late night chat and sketch shows, which rely on writers, have gone dark (unless they’re on Fox News). Some scripted shows, like House of the Dragon, have decided to soldier on with completed scripts, even though writers are regularly changing things during filming. But another, even more popular show ain’t doing that.
As per Variety, Stranger Things was supposed to start filming its fifth and final season this month. But since thousands of writers are picketing for things like fair pay and regulations on AI tech, they’re going on hiatus.
Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out. #wgastrong
— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) May 6, 2023
“Writing does not stop when filming begins,” wrote the Duffer brothers, the show’s creators, on its Twitter account. “While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out.”
The scripts for Stranger Things’ last season were completed last summer, but, as they said, that doesn’t mean they aren’t still tinkering with them during principal photography. And so one of Netflix’s biggest juggernauts has joined such shows as Cobra Kai and Big Mouth, which have faced delays or gone on hiatus until a deal has been reached with Hollywood studios and streamers. Till then, at least some of the striking writers can feast upon pizza — good pizza — given to them by Pete Davidson.
(Via Variety)