The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon continue filming amid bitter writers' strike

Date:
Fri, 05 May 2023 10:22:33 +0000

Description:
Two of the most popular fantasy shows are seemingly unaffected by the biggest industry strike action since 2008.

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Two of the worlds biggest fantasy shows remain unaffected by the increasingly bitter writers strike, according to reports.

Per Variety , work on The Rings of Power season 2 , which is currently being shot in the UK, wont be halted by the industrial action thats dominated the entertainment news cycle over the past week. In basic terms, the strike,
which was called by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) a union representing writers across various industry sectors is the result of a breakdown in
talks between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over working conditions and rates of pay.

The Rings of Power , which is arguably Prime Video s most popular high-fantasy series, is believed to have 19 days of principal photography
left before production wraps on its second season. Subsequently, the writers strike, which currently has no end date in sight, could have spelled disaster for its forthcoming season.

However, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay are said to have made contingency plans for such an event. The pair, who are WGA members, are
unable to oversee the final stage of production due to WGA strike rules. Essentially, as The Rings of Power s showrunners a multi-hyphenate role, which sees them serve as both head writers and producers on the show Payne and McKay are barred from conducting any work on season 2 while the strike is in progress.

With rumors concerning a writers strike doing the rounds as early as mid-April, Payne and McKay planned ahead to ensure the transfer of *ahem* power would be seamless in their absence. In their absence, non-writing executive producers including Lindsey Weber, plus the shows filmmaking team such as director Charlotte Brndstrm are taking charge of the final few weeks of filming. House of the Dragon season 2's production isn't being affected
too much by the writers' strike. (Image credit: HBO )

As for House of the Dragon , the critically-acclaimed HBO Max fantasy show, its second season is also currently being filmed in the UK. Again, Variety reports that the Game of Thrones prequel series wont be impacted by the writers strike, with script work having been completed well in advance of the strike being called. Ryan Condal, House of the Dragon s showrunner, is also a WGA member, meaning hes unable to cross the picket line on the series hes helming.

However, while two of the best fantasy shows are still moving ahead with
their next installments, whats unclear is how theyll handle writing-based issues in their showrunners absence, particularly if the dispute drags on for an extended period.

Script changes of any kind are forbidden under WGA strike rules. That means daily script rewrites, directorial notes, and even script supervisors making tiny alterations to specific lines directly violate an individuals WGA membership. Actors might ad-lib or change lines on their own, too, thus further complicating on-set matters.

Without their showrunners and wider writing team, The Rings of Power or House of the Dragon s non-writing team members cant make any last-minute tweaks to the scripts. Weve reached out to Amazon Studios and HBO for comment, and well report back if we receive a response. Analysis: a US problem affecting UK-based productions Maybe we haven't thought this all the way through, guys... (Image credit: Matt Grace/Prime Video)

It might seem strange to read that shows that have been developed by US-based studios, but are being shot in the UK, fall under the jurisdiction of the
WGAs current strike.

Well, under the unions strike rules, all WGA members including those working outside of the US have to down tools if a) they fall under the WGAs
umbrella, and b) active writing work is taking place. As I mentioned above, Payne, McKay, and Condal are all WGA members, so The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon are directly affected.

Additionally, the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has instructed its members to put their pens down and stand in solidarity with their US colleagues. So, even if US studios wanted to circumvent the WGAs rules and hire UK writers to pen their scripts, they cant.

Things could get even worse, too. A June 30 deadline is looming large over contract renewals for members of the Screen Actors Guild: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Directors Guild of America (DGA). If the AMPTP fails to negotiate a new deal with these guilds, actors and directors could join writers on picket lines across the US, further disrupting the entertainment industry.

That would spell bad news for movie studios and the world's best streaming services , including Prime Video, HBO Max, and Netflix , the latter of which has already come under fire for its supposed role in the strike. Find out why Netflix users are cancelling subscriptions amid the growing feud over the writers strike .

For more Prime Video and HBO Max content, read up on the best Prime Video shows and best HBO Max shows around.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-rings-of-power-house-of-the-dragon-continue -filming-amid-bitter-writers-strike


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