From Euphoria to Gladiator 2 - how the SAG and WGA strikes will massively impact Hollywood

The historic Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike is officially in effect - with hundreds of TV shows and movies grinding to a halt as a result. 

Happening in alignment with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which is now in its third month, SAG-AFTRA are hitting the picket lines in a bid for a better deal for working writers and actors in the wake of the streaming boom. 

With four weeks of negotiations amounting to nothing, it was confirmed on Thursday, May 13 that members of the Screen Actors Guild would be going on strike until further notice. 

Hollywood as a result will be heavily restricted in what they can and can't create, with some film sets already shutting down production until an agreement can be made. 

Here are just a few of the upcoming projects that have been affected already by the SAG and WGA strikes - and what that means for viewers going forward. 

Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh walked the red carpet in London for the premier of their upcoming blockbuster on July 13 - less than two hours before the strike decision was announced. 

By the time guests at the premier were seated, the cast had left in alignment with the strike action, leaving director Christopher Nolan to introduce the movie without them. 

He told the crowd: “Unfortunately, they’re off to write their picket signs for what we believe to be an imminent strike by SAG, joining my guild - one of my guilds, the writers guild - in the struggle for fair wages for working members of their unions, and we support them."

In line with the strike action, all upcoming interview opportunities with the cast will no longer be going ahead. 

Euphoria

Renewed for season three in February 2023, controversial teen drama Euphoria had a number of issues facing it before either strike. 

However, the WGA strike - which first started in early May and has continued for three months to date - has caused the show to not get beyond the writers' room at this point. 

With their leading star Zendaya being in near-constant demand at this point, HBO's head of drama Francesca Orsi confirmed the show had been pushed back while they waited for an agreement to be made. 

Speaking to Deadline in May, Orsi declared they were expecting the show back on screens in 2025. 

But with the SAG strike now occurring as well, it seems unlikely that the production team will even be able to make this deadline with certainty. 

With the show based on troubled teens in high school, and the cast continually aging out of that 16-18 bracket, it certainly feels like Euphoria may become one of the major casualties of the strike and not return at all. 

Stranger Things 

Stranger Things' final season has been in flux ever since it was announced - before Hollywood was thrown Upside Down, it would likely have been filming by now. 

However, the show was shut down due to the WGA strike, with the Duffer Brothers some of the first to openly stand in solidarity with the strike, which aims for equal pay and resitution for those who are working on streaming shows such as Stranger Things. 

With the SAG strike now in effect, any of the casts other projects would be on hold too - making the logistics of getting the gang back together an absolute mind-flaying scheduling nightmare. 

Seeing as Stranger Things is such a phenomenon, it's unlikely the show will stop rather than get its last season - but considering some of the "16-year-olds" of the show are now approaching their mid-twenties, the writers will have to make some allowances and changes in order to explain things. 

It's unlikely we'll see the result now until at least 2025 if not later. 

The Last Of Us 

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lead the cast of this absolute smash-hit game adaptation, which has become somewhat the jewel in the crown of HBO's unmatched 2023 programming. 

Plans for season two filming were initially put in place to begin in November 2023, with a late 2024 or early 2025 launch date. 

However, now it's looking increasingly unlikely we'll see the show again before 2026, depending largely on how long the strikes last. 

The team will need to factor in Pascal's obligations with Gladiator 2, which was in filming when the strike took effect, and will likely need to be completed before he moves on to his next project. 

Bella Ramsey was also signed on to film Monstrous Beauty, which has been in pre-production. 

Post-production on a show like this needs at least six to eight months, and that's not even including the filming time. 

San Diego Comic Con 

While not technically a film or show, San Diego Comic Con is the holy grail event for fans of any show and film franchise going. 

It's Hall H has become famed for being used to make major Marvel, casting, and teaser announcements, with hundreds of stars flocking the convention center in order to meet and greet fans who are often dressed up as their beloved characters. 

But with the SAG strike taking effect, all obligations to appear at events such as this for promotional purposes are null and void, removing a massive part of the reason people go in the first place. 

With no cast there to make announcements, it will be left down to the executives - which let's face it, just isn't as fun. 

What's worse is this year's is meant to start on July 20 - just a week after the strike, meaning SDCC will probably be hit hardest.