WGA Reaches a Tentative Deal with Hollywood Studios to End Strike

The 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike has reached a tentative new deal with Hollywood studios to end the writers strike.

“We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language,” the guild told its members on Sunday in a release sent to PEOPLE.

"We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership," the guild added.

Specific details of the WGA's tentative agreement were not disclosed, but the guild said in its release that a summary would be provided in advance of the membership ratification votes.

The strike, which first started on May 2, has lasted more than 140 days as the union representing entertainment writers working across film, television, news and online media picketed all across the country in demand of better pay as well as stipulations over other key points, including staffing commitments and duration of employment. 

The new deal was struck with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) — which represents Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony — after the two groups met face-to-face Wednesday, and again virtually on Sunday.

During the work stoppage, which also coincided with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, most of Hollywood was shut down, with late-night shows immediately going off the air after the WGA strike began and many other movie and TV productions coming to a halt with no new material to shoot. 

Hollywood's biggest names, like Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson, the cast of Parks and Recreation and Billy Crystal are among those who took to the picket lines.

The ongoing strikes have also resulted in delays across film and television. Some projects have also been completely canceled. And despite the strike, some productions were given permission to continue filming, including House of the Dragon and Anne Hathaway's movie Mother Mary.

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The 2023 strike marked the first time the union refused to work since 2007, when the WGA and AMPTP failed to reach an agreement about DVD residuals and other issues. That stoppage lasted just over three months. 

The longest strike, however, was in 1988 and lasted for 153 days. Major issues at that time involved residuals for hour-long shows and expanded creative rights.