The American union representing 160,000 actors agreed on Friday to an extreme extension of negotiations with Hollywood studios until July 12, thus avoiding for the time being the initiation of a strike, reports AFP.

The collective agreement for the 160,000 actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) was set to expire at midnight on Friday – midnight Los Angeles time (0700 GMT, Saturday) – but has been extended to July 12 local time. 24:00, the statement of the trade union says.

He said, among other things, that a media embargo on the talks would remain in effect until that date.

SAG-AFTRA began negotiations with companies such as Netflix and Disney, but as midnight approached Friday into Saturday, the parties announced they would continue negotiations.

The major Hollywood studios feared that the actors would join the writers who were already on strike, leading to a dual social movement not seen in Hollywood since 1960 and which could completely shut down the entertainment industry.

SAG-AFTRA members – from stars to actors – have given advance notice to strike if the negotiators fail to reach an agreement.

Following writers who have been on strike since early May, the actors are demanding better wages to combat inflation, as well as guarantees against potential upheavals associated with the use of artificial intelligence, such as the use of voice cloning.

Actors are upset by the fall in “residual” payments

In particular, they protest against the reduction of the “residual” remuneration associated with each broadcast of a film or series caused by streaming platforms.

The consequences of broadcasting on television, because they are based on an advertising model, however, these fees are much lower for streaming platforms, which do not report their audience data.

“The residual income is our livelihood between the two projects,” said Sean Lange, an actor who has had small roles in TV shows including “The Terminal List,” a kid at school. Therefore, this is something very important,” he added.

In the event of a strike, Hollywood actors will be able to freeze not only productions based on scripts that are already ready until May 2023, but also the advertising campaigns of blockbusters expected in cinemas this summer, such as “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer”, “Gran Turismo”. “, and even postpone the organization in September of the Emmy gala, during which the television equivalent of the Oscars is presented.

This week, hundreds of high-profile actors, including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence, signed a public letter calling for a strike unless their union reaches a “transformational deal.”

According to this document, the American film industry is “at an unprecedented tipping point.”

“We have to modernize our contracts in the face of new technologies,” actress and casting director Kim Donovan told AFP.

Concerned about the potential impact of artificial intelligence, the 52-year-old actress hopes that Hollywood stars will indeed make a social protest if the strike is initiated.

“Stars have the loudest voices and we need their support,” concluded Kim Donovan (Agerpres).