Gladiator 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 Stop Production Due to Actors’ Strike
The possibility of a historic double strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Actors Guild of Motion Pictures and Television (SAG-AFTRA) seemed remote, but now it is a reality, one not seen since 1960. This double strike threatens to paralyze the film and television industry, and the consequences are already beginning to be announced.
Gladiator 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 Among Halted Productions
According to Variety, the talks between the American actors union and the Hollywood collective bargaining agent, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), broke up on Wednesday after a tumultuous 12-day period of extended negotiations. At midnight Pacific time, the two sides concluded talks without reaching an agreement, prompting a strike vote by the SAG-AFTRA National Board on Thursday morning. The union will direct its 160,000 members to immediately cease all work globally.
Halted Productions Filming Abroad
The three-month-old American writers’ strike has paralyzed many US-based productions, and now the actors’ strike will halt any remaining production filming abroad with members of SAG-AFTRA. The series The White Lotus (93%), from HBO, and Alien, from FX, were being worked on in Thailand, but having several members of the union, they will see their activities stopped.
Impact on Movies
As for movies, the sequel to Gladiator (76%), starring Pedro Pascal, which was being filmed in Morocco, has been halted, along with the sequel to Mortal Kombat (74%), the hit film based on the classic fighting video game, which was being shot in Australia. The first was scheduled to hit theaters on November 22, 2024, and Mortal Kombat 2 had no set date, but it was expected to hit theaters in 2024 as well.
