The Writers Strike Back: How a Looming Strike Could Hamper Lucasfilm’s ‘Star Wars’ Plans
The threat of a potential writers strike has engulfed Hollywood for the first time since May 2017 – and while that situation was resolved without issue, this looming strike has more serious, potentially more damaging implications if it is not averted. Here’s what that could mean for Lucasfilm and Star Wars.
As of right now, the Writers Guild of America are planning to stage a massive strike at the start of next month unless their demands are met for improvements in the following fields (among others): monetary compensation for their weekly work, residuals for their released projects, pension support, health care, and additional protection and support for professional standards. Yesterday, members of the guild nigh-unanimously voted to authorize a strike:
WGA members have authorized a strike by 97.85%. Writers are ready for a deal from the studios that allows writers to share in the success of the content they create and build a stable life. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/gnCJsgH8Sg
— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) April 17, 2023
The numbers provided indicate that if push comes to shove, nearly all of the WGA (with a few exceptions) would participate in the strike if it happens. While the strike, which begins at the start of May if an agreement is not reached, would only officially affect members of the WGA, international writing groups in Canada and the United Kingdom that have also indicated that they will show solidarity with the WGA by participating in the strike to put pressure on companies to agree to the demands of the writers. The last time a writers strike actually happened (between November 5, 2007 and February 12, 2008), the affects it had on the movie industry was nothing short of catastrophic. Seasons of shows that were being developed, like Heroes, had its storytelling truncated to hastily wrap up various subplots. Major motion pictures, like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, were released with subpar scripts. Entire projects that hadn’t gotten off the ground, such as Mad Max director George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal, were cancelled, never to be revisited. Now, in an era where companies are more reliant on big-budget IP than ever to sell their theatrical and streaming slates, the results of a new strike could potentially be even more calamitous.
It is anticipated that multiple companies have taken some precautions and prepared multiple scripts for filming several months in advance, regardless of whether or not the strike takes place. In the event that the strike is entirely averted, this will actually put them in a better position for their content creation plans than they would be in otherwise – but even in a worst-case scenario, it allows them to keep filming new material for a while the strike is ongoing. Lucasfilm is one such company, as shows such as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Star Wars: Andor, and Star Wars: The Acolyte all have completed scripts and have either finished filming or are in the process of filming, meaning that even in a worst-case scenario for studios, productions will still be moving for a while, and will most likely outlast the strike.
It has been rumored that scripts on Star Wars: The Mandalorian‘s fourth season are finished as well, meaning that filming should be unaffected by a strike should one happen, assuming that it films this year – and the same might be true for other unannounced projects at Lucasfilm, which there are probably many. Still, some of the talent may be unavailable to do on-set rewrites if any are deemed necessary, though additional writers who aren’t affiliated with the WGA could potentially come in to handle any additional work needed. (Actors can also ad-lib their dialogue to make adjustments if necessary.) Animated content like the third and final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch has also had its scripts completed for a while, meaning that it should be business as usual for animators.
What’s of much greater concern to Lucasfilm, if a strike happens, is that the slate of films might once again run into trouble. Two out of the three films that were formally announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe would be stuck between a rock and a hard place, as both Steven Knight, the replacement writer for Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, and Dave Filoni, who works on both The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and now a film spin-off to the shows he’s helped shepherd with Jon Favreau, are part of the WGA. Knight’s script for the upcoming Rey Skywalker movie is said to be mostly complete, but was expected to be finished in the middle of May; should the strike begin next month, that will likely leave Lucasfilm with an incomplete screenplay. Filoni might also be in a bind if he is writing his own screenplay, or assisting in screenplays for other shows and movies, although his movie won’t be filming for a few years in any case.
The advantage that Lucasfilm has here is the amount of time that they’ve given themselves for these films, with the release dates seemingly gunning for the Decembers of 2025, 2026, and 2027 according to rumors. The Rey movie is not set to begin filming until Spring 2024 for an anticipated December 2025 release date, so in theory there would be plenty of time for the script to be finished before filming needs to begin. And from the sound of things, Filoni’s movie is set to arrive in December 2026 movie at the absolute earliest. It is unknown yet how the strike will affect James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi-era story. That movie could take the December 2027 release date, although it’s possible that it could come sooner if the other two films are held up that much by the possible strike.
In the end, the strike is a last resort measure and not one that any side wants to actually carry out. With any luck, cooler heads shall prevail and the strike can be averted with terms that both sides can agree to, with the writers getting their well-deserved compensation, or the strike could be resolved shortly after it begins in less ideal conditions. Again, a strike in 2017 was prevented at the last minute thanks to savvy negotiations taking place between both parties. But nothing is certain, and with the DGA and SAG considering planning strikes after the WGA strike either continues or is resolved, it sends a message that Hollywood is going to need to handle the coming weeks and months ahead with utmost care, unless they think that risking an industry shutdown is somehow in their best interests.
Should everything fall through, the WGA strike will begin on May 1. We will update you with this situation, and how it might affect Star Wars and Lucasfilm, in the weeks ahead.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that James Mangold is not a WGA member.
Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.
