Apple Halts Overall Deals Amid Ongoing Writers’ and Actors’ Strikes.
Apple has decided to halt additional overall and first-look deals with creators due to the persisting strikes led by the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild, according to a knowledgeable source who spoke to TheWrap. This suspension primarily affects non-writing producers whose projects are either at a standstill or in the later stages of production.
Among the suspended deals are those involving Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries and Natalie Portman’s MountainA. However, sales for projects where producers can continue non-writing and non-acting responsibilities will remain unaffected.
For instance, Martin Scorsese’s deal remains intact as he completes “Killers of the Flower Moon,” slated for release next month and already in preview screenings for critics. Another unaffected value is with Tom Hanks’ Playtone, the producers of the upcoming limited series “Masters of the Air” for Apple TV+.
As of now, Apple has not responded to requests for comments on the matter.
An overall deal constitutes an agreement between a studio and a production company or creative talent, wherein the studio provides financial support for ideas and projects from the company or individual.
Apple now joins the ranks of other studios, including CBS, Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, who have also put deals on hold amidst the ongoing strikes. These studios have invoked “force majeure” clauses, a provision present in most studio contracts to address situations involving union strikes. High-profile talent whose deals have been affected include figures such as J.J. Abrams, Greg Berlanti, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Mindy Kaling, Lorne Michaels, Billy Porter, Gina Rodriguez, and others.
This move puts additional pressure on creatives who are also involved in production. They can no longer rely on studio funding to cover the expenses of their production companies. However, some studios have committed to paying assistants through the end of the year. In response to his suspended deal, writer-director Justin Simien launched a GoFundMe campaign during the strike to support his production company, Culture Machine. The initiative successfully raised over $65,000. Simien discussed the situation with TheWrap earlier in the summer.
While these deals are currently on hold, there remains a possibility of reinstatement later, with the duration of the suspension appended to the contract — or the agreements could be terminated.
“Certainly, the prevailing speculation before the strike was that this was an opportunity for these companies to rid themselves of exceedingly costly deals,” Simien remarked to TheWrap earlier in the summer.
