Bill Mechanic Has Thoughts On SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreements – Guest Column

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland Labor Day is more than a long weekend of beaches, barbecues and block parties. It’s a national celebration marking the economic and social contributions of American workers. How ironic, then, that SAG-AFTRA members are observing this 141st Labor Day on strike against a global industry that refuses to fairly recognize the contributions of the workers who power its economic success.

Megalopolis, the long-awaited passion project from Francis Ford Coppola, is the latest film to land an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA. The film finished production earlier this year so it is unknown what the agreement would be used for but with festival season ramping up it could potentially be getting one in order to be sold on one of the markets or potentially screen an upcoming festival and in need of one for publicity purposes.

Week after week during the ongoing strikes by actors and writers, FilmLA reports that it has “no scripted TV series” with permits to shoot on location in and around Los Angeles. By contrast, in a normal week at this time of year, there would be dozens of scripted TV projects filming on location in the region.

EXCLUSIVE: Last week we brought you news of which A-listers would and wouldn’t be attending Venice. This week, the Toronto talent picture is taking shape ahead of its September 7th kick off.

Editor’s Note: As SAG-AFTRA continues to encourage its members to both respect and support Interim Agreements, Deadline has learned that the number of producers currently requesting permission to begin, complete and/or promote their films during the strike hovers around 1,400. Here, independent producer Michael Alden (Death Metal, Come From Away, Just Cause) reflects on the process and questions why he’s still waiting for a thumbs up from SAG-AFTRA to spread the word about his latest film, which is a supernatural thriller starring Bruce Davison, Selena Anduze and Keith David.

With the fall film festivals looming, SAG-AFTRA on Thursday assured its members who were part of projects that received interim agreements from the guild that it’s OK for them to support and promote their projects there.

EXCLUSIVE: Isabella Gomez (One Day at a Time, The Goldbergs) is set to star in the indie horror film The Mannequin, from writer-director John Berardo (Initiation).

Your Lucky Day, the horror thriller featuring one of the final performances of Euphoria breakout Angus Cloud, has secured a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement for publicity ahead of its Fantastic Fest premiere, Deadline has learned.

Ahead of its world premiere in competition at the 80th Venice Film Festival, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, which follows the Presleys from the perspective of the King’s young bride, has secured a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement.

The New York Film and Television Union Coalition is praising a pair of identical bills pending in New York State that would “prohibit applicants to the Empire State film production credit from using artificial intelligence that would displace any natural person in their productions.”

The power of a single vote was on full display yesterday in Nashville, where actor and stuntman Bill “Bilbro” Yarbrough defeated his nearest rival by a single vote to win a seat on the guild’s national board of directors.

SAG-AFTRA’s Los Angeles Local and the Writers Guild of America will hold a “National Day of Solidarity” rally on Tuesday outside Disney Studios.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Dozens of Hollywood players are staring anxiously at empty Louis Vuitton trunks this week, wondering if A-list stars and select filmmakers will get the greenlight from SAG-AFTRA to attend the rapidly approaching Venice Film Festival. The union’s interim agreements have been a focal point over the past weeks of the contentious strike, as the deals allow some productions to resume and select finished films to engage in publicity.

SAG-AFTRA has given an interim agreement to another upcoming fall festival pic with theChristy Hall drama Daddio, starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. The agreement will allow talent to promote the movie at the upcoming festivals including Toronto, where it has been confirmed as a Special Presentation pic.

SAG-AFTRA on Thursday named NEON’s Michael Mann-directed Ferrari as one of its latest recipients of an interim agreement for publicity.

SAG-AFTRA has revealed more thinking behind its interim agreements, with leadership saying the initiative is “designed to undermine the production slates and timing of the AMPTP companies and ensure that they come back to the table”.

Billy Porter is taking some drastic measures due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, revealing that the lack of employment has forced him to place his house on the market.

EXCLUSIVE: Karsen Liotta (Blackbird), daughter of the late Ray Liotta, is headlining an anthology indie pic that has been handed a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement.

Following a rapturously received industry keynote on Thursday, veteran indie producer Ted Hope is the talk of the town in Locarno. Attendees on the ground are describing Hope’s ambitious and expansive speech as the much-needed “kick in the ass” Hollywood Execs needed to hear if cinema has any chance of becoming a much fairer and equitable industry. 

Editor’s note: As part of Deadline’s ongoing coverage of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, we want to give voice to other Hollywood workers who are impacted by the work stoppages. This column was written by Jonathan Daniel Brown, the head of Party Crasher Films in New York City. Best known for starring in the 2012 film Project X, his life’s mission is recapture the subversive and countercultural magic of 1970s and ’90s Hollywood through a slate of bold, rebellious and wildly entertaining independent films.