Getty/John Salangsang
A last-minute call is made by Hollywood executives to try and stop the actors’ strike.
Deadline understands that Endeavor boss Ari Emanuel and CAA President Brian Lourd made an offer to help find a path to an agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP.
Emanuel contacted SAG-AFTRA leadership last week to prevent an all-out strike if the actors joined the writers, and Lourdes made similar calls.
“It’s not just about ending the strike, it’s about finding a way forward for everyone,” a source close to the events told Deadline.
The union accepted Emanuel’s revelation and sought to at least keep him close to the process as negotiations enter the final hours before the current extended contract expires at midnight on July 12.
“These are reasonable people,” one insider said of the response to Emanuel’s call.
With tensions between many agents and writers still lingering as a result of the impasse between the WGA and the ATA, the idea of top agency bosses helping to smooth the path to contracts with actors rather than writers makes sense.
Early Monday morning, we hear AMPTP, run by Carole Lombardini, recommended bringing in federal mediators to help the situation.
The move took studio heads including Disney’s Bob Iger, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav for their blessing. They signed the plan.
“If bringing in a third-party perspective is necessary, so be it,” the source added.
The move comes as Hollywood is focused on whether actors will sign contracts or go on strike with writers Thursday morning.
Bringing in federal mediators — the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service — could lead to another extension after both sides had already agreed to extend negotiations past their initial deadline. However, as we understand it, there is no agreement with SAG-AFTRA on arbitrators.
It comes after SAG-AFTRA president Fran Tresher was photographed with Kim Kardashian at an Italian fashion show just days before deadline.
As Deadline wrote yesterday, AI seems to be one of the main sticking points between the two sides, along with streaming transparency.
Variety reported.
