Four and a half months into the WGA strike, Disney has suspended a number of overall and first-look deals, according to Deadline.
Clockwise from Top Left: Billy Porter, Yara Shahidi, Justin Hartley, Gina Rodriguez, Marc Webb
What’s Happening:
- The bulk of the pacts with non-writing producers across Disney TV Entertainment divisions are impacted, including deals at 20th Television and ABC Signature, FX Productions and Disney Branded Television.
- The move involves producers who are not performing services due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
- Disney will reportedly pay for the suspended term deals to provide salaries for their assistants through the end of 2023 and for their development executives through the first week of October.
- The list of suspensions include deals with the following actors, producers, and directors:
- Gina Rodriguez (Not Dead Yet) – 20th Television
- Justin Hartley (This Is Us) – 20th Television
- Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us) – 20th Television
- Mandy Moore (This Is Us) – 20th Television
- Yara Shahidi (grown-ish) – ABC Signature
- Marc Webb (director/producer, Rebel) – ABC Signature
- Hiro Murai (executive producer, The Bear) – FX Productions
- Billy Porter (Pose) – FX Productions
- Stacey Sher (producer) – FX Productions
- Producers are still being notified, so this list may grow to include additional talent.
- The expansive overall agreement of one of Disney TV Studios’ highest-profile non-writing producers, Warren Littlefield, remains ongoing for the time being, as he is still working on the upcoming fifth season of FX’s Fargo.
- This is by no means exclusive to Disney, as Warner Bros. Television, NBCUniversal Studio Group and CBS Studios all implemented rounds of deal suspensions over the past week.
- As of now, there have been no deal terminations by any of the major studios.