(Image courtesy Unsplash)
(VARIETY) – It was a typical day on the set of “Gladiator 2” in Malta. British director Ridley Scott was orchestrating a complex sequence featuring the film’s star, Paul Mescal, and several hundred extras, all of it unfolding inside a replica of the Colosseum. They were more than halfway through the arduous three-month production of the film that marked the long-awaited sequel to Scott’s 2000 Oscar best picture winner, when, on July 13, at high noon, Scott called “Cut!” Quickly, word began to spread that half a world away, talks between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios and streaming services had collapsed.
Given that the cast and crew of the action epic had been living in a bubble, the prospect of a strike had seemed remote. But it didn’t take long for the grim reality to sink in. Within hours, Scott and his producers had sent a note to the crew saying that production was shutting down.
“There was just this sadness,” one source says. “We were completely out of the politics and just invested in the work. Now, a lot of people are going to lose their livelihoods, won’t be able to keep up home payments, school payments.”
The post Strikes plunge Hollywood into chaos with pricey movie delays, pay battles, AI anxiety appeared first on WND.
