he world premiere for Disney’s star-studded film Haunted Mansion became the first major Hollywood event to go ahead without its actors including Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis due to an industry strike.
Among the film stars scheduled to walk the red carpet were Jared Leto, Owen Wilson and Tiffany Haddish, as well as LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson and Dan Levy, but the Sag-Aftra (the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike announced on Thursday meant the actors could no longer attend the event held in front of the theme park’s Haunted Mansion ride in Anaheim, California.
It comes as members of US union joined writers who were already striking outside major production companies in Los Angeles, including Warner Bros, Netflix and Disney, as well as in New York.
Academy Award winner Curtis was among those showing her support, sharing a video of herself at Sag-Aftra as members stapled together picket signs to be used during the strike, saying: “The click click click of solidarity. Amazing.
“And I’m going to join them and help them as soon as I pick up my t-shirt. Union strong.”
The 64-year-old joined thousands of performers on picket lines in the biggest entertainment industry strike in six decades, which threatens to derail productions both home and abroad and could last “until the end of the year”, Succession star Brian Cox previously warned.
Other stars spotted on picket lines included Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, Thelma & Louise actress Susan Sarandon, Lord Of The Rings star Sean Astin and Gilmore Girls star Sean Gunn, the brother of Guardians Of The Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn.
Meanwhile, celebrities including George Clooney, Halle Berry and Alec Baldwin have also expressed support for the strikes.
The strike comes after the US union and Hollywood studios failed to reach an agreement after more than four weeks of negotiations, with actors wanting better pay and increased safeguarding around artificial intelligence (AI) rights among their demands.
The union said actors face an “existential threat to their livelihoods” with the rise of generative AI technology and the threat of unregulated use.
Chief negotiator for Sag-Aftra Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said studios had asked for the ability to scan the faces of background artists for the payment of one day’s work, and then be able to own and use their likeness for any future projects without consent or compensation.
It comes after AI advances were explored in an episode of Netflix hit dystopian anthology show Black Mirror, which saw Hollywood star Salma Hayek’s character discover her AI likeness could be used by a production company without her knowledge.
However, British actor Simon Pegg has insisted having AI as a competitor could raise the quality of what reaches our screens, amid the strike action.
The Mission Impossible star, 53, told the Telegraph: “It might be a good thing in that it will stop us from being mediocre.
“There is a lot of mediocrity out there sometimes.
“Things that pass for entertainment are not quite as good as they should be.
“So if it ups our game because we want to escape the velocity of this creeping threat then it’s a good thing.”
The Sag-Aftra union, which has a membership of around 160,000, represents actors across film, television and radio and it is it’s first major members’ strike in over 40 years.
Among the productions in the UK that could be affected by the strike action is the filming of Deadpool 3, starring Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
House Of The Dragon series two with Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy could also be affected, alongside the second series of The Sandman with Tom Sturridge and the fourth series of Slow Horses with Academy Award winner Gary Oldman.
Film festivals, including those in Venice and Toronto, and awards shows such as the 75th Emmy Awards, could also be hit if the strike continues.
It comes as over 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) also remain on strike, having begun their own action on May 2.