Disney’s Iger Says It’s the “Worst Time in the World” for an Actors Strike

The entertainment industry as we know it is continuing to change, and Disney CEO Bob Iger has shared that recent events might be detrimental to the industry.

Magic Kingdom

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May, which has drastically affected television and film production as the lack of writers has delayed processes. Yet another strike could be on the way, this time from The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). This means that even more film and television production could be delayed or even halted — and by “even more,” we mean… all of it. Like, this could shut down the entire entertainment industry, y’all.

UPDATE: On July 13th, 2023, SAG-AFTRA unanimously voted to issue a strike order. Members will join the Writers Guild on the picket line.

According to Variety Magazine, a SAG-AFTRA strike is a very real concern at this point, especially after union and studio negotiations have failed without deals or extensions. Iger spoke to CNBC about what this could mean for the future of entertainment.

Bob Iger

“It’s very disturbing to me,” Iger said in regard to the imminent SAG-AFTRA strike combined with the WGA strike. He explained that the entertainment industry as a whole is still trying to recover after COVID-19 halted film and television production across the board. Now, it’s not so promising that the industry will recover at all.

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“This is the worst time to add to that disruption,” Iger continued. Iger showed empathy and understanding by stating that he understood the strikes were a result of labor organizations advocating for their members, but he did say that some studios had already made decent negotiations with the Directors Guild. While the studios wanted to do the same with writers and actors, the expectation that they already had in place was just “unrealistic.”

©CNN | Disney CEO Bob Iger

Iger continued on the subject, stating, “You have to be realistic about the business environment.”

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Another issue that Iger mentioned was that the increased use of AI in TV and film production could be negatively affecting union negotiations, as the use of AI is suspected to be damaging to the industry — and even the economy — as a whole. These comments followed criticisms of Marvel’s newest show on Disney+, Secret Invasion, which used AI throughout.

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We’ll continue to keep you updated with any and all Disney news and updates, especially now that Disney has announced Bob Iger’s contract extension through 2026. Make sure to follow along for more!