Talks between the studios and striking actors’ union are set to resume Saturday afternoon, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists announced late Friday evening.
The union’s TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee will meet Saturday morning to prepare for afternoon talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents the studios, according to the union.
The studios made an offer to SAG-AFTRA on Friday that they hope will end the 113-day strike, the longest in the union’s history, the entertainment trade newspaper Variety reported.
Details of the offer were not immediately available.
The four studio CEOs — David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery, Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, Ted Sarandos of Netflix and Bob Iger of Disney — who were present at some previous sessions are set to return to the table Saturday, are expected to rejoin the talks Saturday after more than weeklong absence, Variety reported.
The union is seeking to place limitations on the use of artificial intelligence to re-create actors’ likenesses and performances, while the AMPTP has advocated for informed consent and fair pay in situations where performers are digitally replicated, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The studios have warned that unless a deal is reached this week it will be impossible for the broadcasters to salvage half a season of scripted television, according to Variety.
The 2024 summer movie season is also increasingly in peril, as more and more films have been delayed to 2025, Variety reported.
The union’s other demands include general wage increases, boosts in compensation for successful streaming programs and improvements in health and retirement benefits.