Filming on Ariana Grande‘s latest film Wicked has ceased amid a transatlantic strike by actors that began yesterday.
Dramatic photos show the abandoned set in Buckinghamshire after the union representing Hollywood stars ordered members to down tools amid a row over how streaming services are pushing down pay and the increasing use of AI in production.
Pop star Grande is set to portray heroine Glinda the Good in the upcoming film, but signalled her support for the strike on Instagram yesterday by sharing news of the protest.
Other productions in the UK, including Deadpool 3, Beetlejuice 2, Speak No Evil and the next Avatar sequel are also set to be affected.
The strike, coordinated by US actors’ union the Screen Actors Guild (Sag-Aftra), began yesterday, prompting the star-studded cast of upcoming Christopher Nolan epic Oppenheimer to walk out of the film’ UK premiere in London.
Stars including Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh were visibly emotional as they exited the premiere early.
Filming on Ariana Grande’s latest film Wicked has ceased amid a transatlantic strike by actors that began yesterday. Dramatic photos show the abandoned set in Buckinghamshire
Scores of people could be seen on the set of Wicked in April. Today the set is deserted
Pop star Grande is set to portray heroine Glinda the Good in the upcoming film. Above: Grande on the set of Wicked in June
Director Nolan later said the cast had left the event to ‘write their picket signs.’
Under the rules of a strike, all Sag-aftra members will not be able to film any movie or TV series – which means that almost every show and film that’s currently in the works will be delayed indefinitely until the problem is resolved.
US networks have responded to the strike by expanding the amount of ‘unscripted content’ for their autumn schedules, including The Masked Singer, The Amazing Race, Survivor and Kitchen Nightmares.
British union Equity, the sister organisation to Sag-aftra, said in a statement that they are are ‘full square behind’ their US counterpart.
However, they said they have been advised that the action is not lawful under UK law, meaning any performer who joins the strike or refuses to cross a picket line in Britain will have no prote
Grande is starring in the film adaptation of the hit stage musical Wicked
The set, made to look like the magical land of Oz, is seen deserted today
Mobile cranes and metal scaffolding are seen on the deserted set of Wicked today
The pictures show how the strike will hit British technical staff as well as the Hollywood stars
Wicked’s release date is set for November next year, meaning the halt to production could push that back
Not so magical: Colourful structures on the set of Wicked in Buckinghamshire are seen abandoned today
Grande signalled her support for the strike on Instagram yesterday by sharing news of the protest
Sag-Aftra represents more than 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers.
The walkout affects only the union’s 65,000 actors from television and film productions.
Wicked’s release date is set for November next year, meaning the halt to production could push that back.
Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is scheduled to hit screens next May but this date could also now be pushed back.
The next Avatar film is set to be released in December 2025 so could also be affected, although filming has already been completed.
Speak No Evil is billed for next August, whilst Beatlejuice 2 is meant to be released in September 2024.
Other films that are currently being filmed in the UK include The Radleys, Amateur, and romantic comedy The Gorge, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy.
Filming for Gladiator 2, which started in June, is also partly taking place in UK – as well as in Malta and Morocco – and so could be affected.
The Deadpool 3 set, also in Buckinghamshire, stands deserted as well as the strike begins – with a 20th Century Fox logo half-buried in the sand
No filming could be seen on the set, where Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman had previously been shooting scenes
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are seen filming Deadpool 3 on July 12
Just 2 days earlier the stars filmed a fight scene in front of the same 20th Century Fox logo
On July 11 Reynolds, dressed as his Deadpool alter ego, and Jackman, as Wolverine, discussed a scene when work was still continuing on the film
A number of TV series being filmed in the UK might also be impacted, including spy thriller The Day Of The Jackal starring Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and period boxing drama A Thousand Blows with Stephen Graham.
The second series of The Sandman with Tom Sturridge and the fourth series of Slow Horses with Academy Award winner Gary Oldman could also be affected.
However, filming for the second series of House of the Dragon, starring Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, may continue despite the strike, due to the fact that its stars are working under contracts governed by Equity, according to Variety.
Filming for Gladiator 2, which started in June, is also partly taking place in UK – as well as in Malta and Morocco – and so could be affected. Above: The Gladiator set in Morocco
