Pedro Pascal Leaves Production of Blockbuster Sequel

The sequel to Gladiator has been 23 years in the making as Ridley Scott surprised fans with the announcement to continue the story of the cinematic classic. Buzz for the project increased even more when the public saw the ensemble cast consisted of notable actors, such as Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Barry Keoghan, Paul Mescal and returning stars Djimon Hounsou and Connie Nielsen. However, the November 22, 2024 release date will most likely be postponed due to the recent Actors’ Strike. Pedro Pescal and many cast members are expected to leave production for the epic period piece in solidarity to the protest.

This is a historic time in the Film Industry, but not for the right reasons. There has not been a dual strike between the WGA (Writers Guild of America) and SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of TV and Radio) since 1960. The actors union joined the writers yesterday as discussions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers broke down during negotiations. Both sides could not reach a deal, triggering a vote to strike. The actors union has now instructed its 160,000 members to immediately halt all written film and television projects around the globe.

The Writers union has its 11,500 members in the third month of their strike as multiple US-based film projects also shut down as a result. Yet, the addition of the Actors strike will soon bring countless productions to a standstill. Many of the key issues affecting both entertainment professionals are in tandem with one another. Here are three reasons for both strikes:

• There is not a proper calculation on residual payment collection from streaming services. Many writers and actors have been paid a baseline-fee formula from streaming companies. Yet, most professionals feel the residual payments are not being reflected accurately based on the released viewership metrics. They seek more transparency on how studios determine their residual payments.
• No change in minimum pay. Writers and actors desire a higher minimum wage to compensate for inflation shifts and longer gaps between productions.
• No regulation on A.I. There is no system in place to compensate actors who have their likenesses, voices or written work copied by artificial intelligence programs.

Gladiator 2 is one of many film productions that have been suspended due to addition of the Actors strike. Mortal Kombat 2, Emily in Paris, White Lotus, and the Alien TV series are all currently in limbo. It is unfortunate that the making of art must suffer, but this ‘game of chicken’ will hopefully send a message to studio executives that artists deserve to be fairly compensated for their work as the global economy shifts to meet strict, unrealistic demands in cinema.