The 2007 writers’ strike could not have come at a worse time
for screenwriter Zack Stentz. After three years of being unemployed, Stentz was
happily ensconced in a new job as an executive story editor on Fox’s
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”. He was working with a high-caliber
group of writers on a show he described as “dark, thoughtful, and weird”.
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Before the strike, the staff had successfully completed nine
episodes of the show, which tracked the aftermath of events depicted in the
blockbuster film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” When the hourlong drama debuted
in January 2008, it earned solid ratings and a loyal fan base. Still, Stentz,
who has gone on to write for series like J.J. Abrams’ “Fringe” and Greg
Berlanti’s “The Flash,” believes the 100-day strike ultimately sealed the
show’s fate: a truncated two-season, 31-episode arc.
“It was heartbreaking because we felt like we were doing
something really special,” said Stentz, who recalled the show’s budgets being
slashed during the second season, after the extended break caused ratings to
plunge. “The conventional wisdom on the show is that it was ahead of its time
and if it would have come out in the 2010s, it probably would have been a much
bigger success.”
“The Sarah Connor Chronicles” is just one of many television
shows and movies whose fate was altered by the last writers’ strike, which cost
the Los Angeles economy $2.1 billion in lost revenue. Movies like the James
Bond film “Quantum of Solace,” “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and “X-Men
Origins: Wolverine” were among those rushed into production with unfinished
scripts.
Things were so grim on “Quantum of Solace” that star Daniel
Craig later admitted to rewriting scenes himself while on set. The film’s
director, Marc Forster, who declined to comment for this article, told the
website Collider in 2016 that he considered quitting what was then his biggest
budget movie to date.
“At that time, I wanted to pull out,” he said. “But
everybody said, ‘No, we need to make a movie, the strike will be over shortly
so you can start shooting what we have and then we’ll finish everything else.’”
Not every project suffered because of the work stoppage.
Take the series “Breaking Bad”. According to one of the show’s producers, Mark
Johnson, the character of Jesse Pinkman, portrayed by Aaron Paul, was
originally supposed to die in the final episode of the show’s first season.
The strike, however, forced “Breaking Bad” to halt production
after just seven episodes. And, Johnson recalled in a recent interview, once
the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, realized how well the character played
against Bryan Cranston’s chemistry teacher-turned-drug dealer Walter White, he
decided to let him live.
Jesse Pinkman lasted the entire 62-episode run, and Paul won
three Emmys. “Because of the strike, we learned a lot about the show,” Johnson
said. (Others have said the decision to keep Paul’s character was made before
the strike, though other key plot elements of the show were adjusted.)
The entertainment industry of today is much different from
what it was 15 years ago, of course, and all the lessons learned during the
last strike may not be applicable. Broadcast networks have cut back on scripted
programming. Streaming services are not obligated to assemble a fall schedule.
The major film studios have said they have enough movies in production to keep
releasing them at a steady pace through the middle of 2024.
“The dynamics are different now,” said Kevin Reilly, a
veteran television executive. “Really, the only choke point is that at a
certain point your development pipe gets a little bit dry. But I don’t think
that’s even a speed bump in the streaming world. It would have to go on for at
least six months for that to really start to feel the pressure. The same at the
box office.”
Studios have been leaning heavily into this narrative over
the past few weeks. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO, told investors during the
company’s first-quarter earnings that because of its “large base of upcoming
shows and films from around the world,” the streaming giant “can probably serve
our members better than most.” Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish also said the
strike would have little impact on the company’s business in the short term.
“We do have many levers to pull and that will allow us to
manage through the strike even if it’s an extended duration,” he said during
the company’s post-earnings conference call.
But a prolonged strike could have unforeseen effects just
the same. Just one week into the shutdown, television shows like Netflix’s
“Stranger Things,” HBO Max’s “Hacks” and Apple TV+’s “Loot” have halted
production.
It remains unclear how the studios will adjust should the
strike be prolonged. As one writer, Joe McClean (“Resident Evil: Vendetta”),
noted from the picket line last week, the 2007 strike led to a renewed boom in
reality TV shows, which are relatively inexpensive to produce and do not need
writers.
“There’s a pretty nice thread that can show that the last
writers’ strike led to Donald Trump becoming president,” McClean said,
referring to “Celebrity Apprentice,” which debuted in January 2008 and
intensified Trump’s already significant television presence. “Because we had no
writers and no good content on television, that was where all of the viewers
were going, and it just elevated his star.”
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