The 3 AMC series are highest profile TV productions thus far to reach interim agreements with actors' union
By Andrew Dalton, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --A pair of spinoffs of "The Walking Dead" and the next season of "Interview With the Vampire" can resume production despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes after reaching an agreement with the actors' union.
The three AMC series are the highest-profile television productions yet to get what's known as an interim agreement from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The approval was granted Wednesday because the cable channel AMC and production company Stalwart Films are not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the coalition of studios the actors are striking against — though they are what's known as "authorized companies" that abide by the contracts reached by the AMPTP.
"The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" and "Interview With the Vampire" will now resume shooting their second seasons. And the deal will allow actors to do postproduction work on the first season of "The Walking Dead: Those Who Live."
No new writing will be allowed on the series because the Writers Guild of America, in perhaps the most significant divergence in strategy with the actors union, has opted not to grant any such agreements.
SAG-AFTRA's tactic of granting interim agreements — which have been given to hundreds of films and shows produced outside the major studios so long as they grant actors the terms the union asked for in their last offer before the strike began July 12 — has drawn objections from many union members who feel they're undermining their objectives.
Union leaders, while conceding that they did an insufficient job of explaining the strategy at first, have consistently defended it and touted its effectiveness in recent weeks. They say the productions show that their demands are not unreasonable, and they allow others in Hollywood to work.
"I think that there's a greater understanding of the interim agreements, and a realization that actually helping journeyman performers and crew have opportunities for work is going to maintain our resolve" SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher told The Associated Press last week. "We don't want to get caught in a place where we feel like we have to compromise our principles because people are desperate to get back to work."
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More