Will the the Directors Guild deal with the movie studios go through this weekend?
Many members of the DGA are saying on Twitter they are voting no, in solidarity with the striking Writers Guild. They also want to see what kind of deal SAG-AFTRA will make, or if they will strike. SAG-AFTRA members voted to approve a strike a few days ago. Their deal is up on June 30th.
One of the dissenters, who even made a video, is Larry Charles, famed director of “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Borat.” Another is Duncan Jones, son of late singer David Bowie, who directed “Moon” with Sam Rockwell and ‘Mute” with Alexander Skarsgard.
Jones wrote on Twitter: “I’d vote to NOT accept the DGA deal struck, and request that our guild’s acceptance of what was negotiated is conditional on the WGA and SAG deals are worked out first as well.”
Jones isn’t alone. There are threads all over Twitter from DGA members recommending a no vote. TV writer and producer Liz Benjamin notes: “Wow reading a lot of posts and talking to #DGA friends — seems possible the membership will reject the deal. Wouldn’t that be an interesting wrench for the #AMPTP?”
Steven DeKnight, with a long resume of directing, Tweeted: “I just voted NO on the 2023-2026 DGA Basic Agreement and Freelance Live & Tape Television Agreement Ratification ballot. I strongly urge all DGA members to do the same. This isn’t the time to accept table scraps and call them historic. Stand together. Stand Union Strong.”
Joe Russo (not Avengers, plenty of credits) says: “I don’t mean to be hyperbolic when I say the DGA negotiating committee seems to have given away the future of the entertainment industry when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and streaming transparency in exchange for clawing back a few creative TV rights from showrunners.”
Of course, there are always dissenters. The DGA technically approved the deal on June 7th pending ratification. But the responses, insiders say, indicate a lot of unhappiness, especially about the now dreaded and ubiquitous “AI.”
Stay tuned…any thoughts please email me at showbiz411@gmail.com
I VOTED ‘NO’. I am and have been very lucky. And I am, amazingly, both a writer and a director. And in that privileged position I found myself voting my conscience on the new DGA contract. Here, below, are my reasons. Thanks. #WGA #DGA #SAG #Strike #unity #solidarity pic.twitter.com/iWsb3ZVMu4
— Larry Charles (@larrycharlesism) June 8, 2023
