‘Writing does not stop when filming begins’
The creators of Stranger Things have confirmed that filming of the show’s final series is on hold whilst a writing strike continues.
On Tuesday (May 2), members of the Writers Guild of the America went on strike, bringing production on many Hollywood shows, series and films to a halt.
Writers are striking as they try to negotiate a new contract with major studios such as Amazon, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Netflix.
They argue that the rise of online streaming has left them behind, leading to worse pay and less job security, whilst also demanding that rules are put in place to control how much studios use artificial intelligence in film and television writing.
Whilst some shows have carried on with filming because scripts have already been completed, others have decided to call a halt to production whilst writers aren’t on set.
On Saturday night, the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, officially announced that production would not go ahead until the writers strike is over. This is despite reports that the scripts for the much-anticipated fifth and final season of Stranger Things are complete,
In a tweet, they said: “Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we’re excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then — over and out.”
Filming on season five of Stranger Things was due to begin this month.
The news that the show won’t be filming until the dispute is resolved will be a huge blow to both fans and Netflix.
Stranger Things is arguably the streaming platform’s biggest show. Season four of the show was released last summer and broke a huge amount of records, and sparked a revival for a certain Kate Bush song.
It is not known how much pressure Netflix is putting on its shows to continue production if scripts are ready but the Duffers have made their stance very clear.
This is whilst series such as HBO’s House of the Dragon and Amazon’s Rings of Power have decided to plough on with production because their scripts are ready.
However, in normal circumstances, script writers would usually be present on sets to re-write lines and help filming flow.
It is not clear how long the strike will go on for. The last time the Writers Guild went on strike was in 2007, with industrial action lasting for 100 days.
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