Every Marvel & DC Project Affected by the Ongoing SAG-AFTRA Strike

A situation like this hasn’t happened in Hollywood since 1960. As we already know, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2, and two and a half months later, there are still zero signs that the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are close to reaching a new, fair deal.

Although the Directors Guild of America (DGA) came to an agreement with AMPTP about a new contract last month, the same can’t be said for Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), who decided to go on strike starting on July 13. For the first time since 1960, both the writers and actors are collectively on strike, which basically freezes the entire Hollywood industry as we know it.

Apart from a few productions like ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Dune: The Sisterhood,’ which are hiring mostly British actors who aren’t part of the strike, every other production currently ongoing in Hollywood is now halted, including the pre-productions.

During the strike, the actors are also not allowed to do any promotional work or interviews for the completed movies that should be released soon. So, let’s look at every Marvel and DC production affected by the strike, highlighting those in the middle of production when the strike began.

Completed movies that are set for release

Out of all projects affected by the strike, these are probably in the best position, although it’s hard to tell how well they will perform commercially, given the situation. The movies that have already wrapped their productions, such as DC’s ‘Blue Beetle,’ Sony’s ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ and Marvel Studios’ ‘The Marvels,’ are will be able to release on their scheduled release dates, but the catch is that the actors can’t do any promotional work, interviews, or red carpet events while the strike is ongoing.

‘Blue Beetle’ is already in trouble of becoming another commercial failure for DC, and we’re only a month away from its release. As for ‘Kraven the Hunter’ and ‘The Marvels,’ it’s hard to say what’ll happen until October and November when these movies are scheduled to come out.

It’s unknown how this strike will affect DC’s ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,’ the last superhero movie of the year, since it recently had another round of reshoots. It’s unknown if those reshoots are completed, but if they aren’t, the movie can forget about filming any additional scenes during the strike.

Deadpool 3

‘Deadpool 3’ is the only MCU project which was in active production when the strike was officially announced. As expected, the production was immediately halted and won’t continue until the strike is resolved. The movie is set to be released in only ten months, and if this strike lasts for a longer period, we can surely look forward to delaying the movie, and you know that that means; one MCU movie gets delayed, and the majority, if not all, will be delayed as well.

Venom 3

The third installment of the ‘Venom’ trilogy starring Tom Hardy recently began filming, but just like in the case of ‘Deadpool 3,’ the production is currently on hold. Unlike ‘Deadpool 3,’ ‘Venom 3’ still has no official release date, though some reports are saying it’s eyeing October 2024 as the release window. Sony’s superhero movie ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ which is set to be released this October, and ‘Madame Web,’ which is scheduled for release next February, have already wrapped their principal photographies.

The Sandman Season 2

Neftlix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s homonyms comic book premiered in August 2022. It took a while for Netflix to renew this Tom Sturridge-led series due to high production costs, but it was ultimately renewed. The second season’s production began recently, but as you suspected, it’s currently on hold. The series has no premiere date yet, but with all this happening, we wouldn’t be surprised if we’d wait for it by 2025.

Pre-productions are also on hold.

Many pre-productions were halted when the WGA strike began in May. Marvel Studios had to shut down the already troubled pre-production of ‘Blade’ and ‘Thunderbolts.’ Every project that was in the writing phase was put on hold, and with the SAG-AFTRA strike now, Marvel Studios had to shut down the casting process for the upcoming ‘Fantastic Four’ movie. All these movies have scheduled release dates, but it wouldn’t be the first time they’d get delayed if these strikes go on for longer.

The SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher recently said they discussed what it would cost if the strike lasted for at least six months. This is a really pessimistic prediction of what to expect from the coming months, but the situation is quite clear; the writers and actors are persistent in reaching a fair deal, but from the looks of things, it seems like AMPTP is okay with the waiting game. How long will they be able to play it? No one knows.

“Right now, we discussed what it would cost if it went for six months, so we’re looking for the long haul. The gravity of a commitment like this is not lost on any of us. It’s major. But we also see that we have no future and no livelihood unless we take this action, unfortunately.”

Fran Drescher (via USA Today)

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