Writers' strike: The biggest movies and TV shows currently on hold

Viewers may be able to hit pause on their favourite movies and TV shows but behind the scenes, production on quality storytelling rarely stops. However, thanks to the writers’ strike currently taking place in America, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Production on some of your favourite shows — as well as some new ones — has suddenly ground to a halt as hard-working writers take to the picket line to fight for better working conditions and employee protections.

In a nutshell, it's a dispute between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with the former demanding better protections against artificial intelligence-led storytelling and micro-writers rooms, alongside more visibility into project viewerships and better pay, including profits of the successful shows they’ve worked on.

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The labour dispute began on 2 May, 2023 after early negotiations fell apart and is currently in double digits.

While no one can be sure how much longer it will last, we do know that its fallout is impacting a bunch of our favourite shows and movies. Projects like…

Movies and TV shows impacted by the 2023 writers' strike

Daredevil: Born Again

Marvel fans eager to see Charlie Cox back in Daredevil mode will have to wait a little bit longer to watch him go face-to-face with Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. In mid-June, it was announced that production on Daredevil: Born Again series has been shut down until after the Writers Guild strike sorts itself out.

The Penguin

Similarly, The Batman spin-off series The Penguin, which features a heavily made-up Colin Farrell as Gotham's chilliest crime lord has also hit pause until the writers' strike has ceased. This hotly-anticipated offshoot promises to show Oswald Cobblepot's rise to power - but unless studios make a deal with writers, we won't be able to see it anytime soon.

Emily in Paris season 4

Filming for the fourth season of Emily in Paris has been delayed due to the strike. Originally the show was set to begin shooting in the summer in France, but the decision was made to delay it by two months according to Variety.

Marvel’s Thunderbolts

Marvel’s Thunderbolts, which stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Sebastian Stan, has had to hit pause on production due to the ongoing strike.

The movie — which promises to bring together a number of Marvel icons from Ant-Man and the Wasp, Black Widow and the new Captain America movie — was due to shoot in Atlanta, Georgia this June. However, until the strike resolves itself, that’s not going to happen.

Blade Runner 2099

Following the success of Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, the franchise is set to head to the small screen in the new series Blade Runner 2099. However, replicants are the least of its worries.

Read more: Blade Runner 2099 Cast: Jodie Comer No Longer Attached (ComingSoon, 1 min read)

Due to the ongoing strike, the series’ Belfast-set shoot has been put on an indefinite pause. While little is known about its plot, the ever-productive Sir Ridley Scott is on executive producing duty. Hopefully, when the strike ends we’ll know more about this exciting new series.

Blade

Marvel Studios' long-awaited Daywalker reboot Blade was due to begin production in Atlanta in June 2023 with Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali inheriting the role from Wesley Snipes.

Read more: Everything we know about Blade

Unfortunately, production has been put on pause until the strike works itself out.

Stranger Things season 5

Lots of people are eagerly awaiting the fifth and final season of Stranger Things but it looks like we’ll all have to wait a bit longer to see what else the Duffer Brothers have lurking in the Upside Down.

Read more: Everything we know about Stranger Things S5

Production on Stranger Things’ final series shut down when the strike started and will only resume once a settlement has been agreed.

The Last of Us season 2

Casting for the second season of The Last Of Us has been put on hold in response to the strike, despite planning to audition actors using scenes from the game it will be adapting. However, with showrunner Craig Mazin joining the picket lines there's no writing being done for the show, bringing the pre-production process to a halt.

Andor season 2

After a bit of a social media scuffle between showrunner and producer Tony Gilroy and a disgruntled writer, it was confirmed that production on the second series of Star Wars spin-off Andor has indeed been shut down indefinitely until strike action has been resolved.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6

Pre-production on the sixth and final season of MGM's dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale has been paused as the writers on the show go on strike. Several episodes had been written and the show was due to start filming this summer, but that seems likely to be pushed back, depending on how long the strike goes on for.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight

House of the Dragon might not even be onto its second season but the next spin-off series set in the Game of Thrones universe is on its way. Well, sort of.

Read more: Everything we know about The Hedge Knight

Shortly after the mouthful of a title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight was revealed, series author George R.R. Martin confirmed that the writers' room had shut down.

Saturday Night Live

Just as all of America’s late-night talk shows have been forced to hit pause while writers battle it out for better working conditions, so has the long-running American sketch show Saturday Night Live. Shame really, as we’re sure its timely brand of comedy would’ve had plenty to say about it.

Daredevil: Born Again

Fans were overjoyed when it was revealed that Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio and Jon Bernthal would be returning to the same show in Marvel's Daredevil: Born Again. However, we’ll have to wait a bit before we see what they come up with, as the show went on strike in early May.

Cobra Kai season 6

For his latest battle, Daniel Larusso is going up against the Hollywood system, with Cobra Kai co-creator and writer Jon Hurwitz taking to Twitter to confirm that he and his team would also go on strike.

Yellowjackets season 3

The third season of Paramount’s hit series Yellowjackets spent just one day in the writers’ room before co-creator Ashley Lyle revealed that her team would go on strike until a suitable solution has been found. “I’m very excited to get back to it as soon as the #WGA gets a fair deal,” she said.

The Sandman season 2

The second season of Neil Gaiman's fantasy series is a fair way into development with sets being built, a shooting schedule in place, and scripts all written, however the writer says production may be delayed depending on "how long the strike goes" adding that "there won't be any scab scripts on Sandman".

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