Judd Apatow has made a name for himself by directing and producing certain kinds of comedy films. In his successful career spanning four decades, Apatow has become an established name in Hollywood. He is also known for being vocal about issues in the industry.
The Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) recently went on a strike that halted the production of all the late-night talk shows and some television and web shows. Amid all this, the 55-year-old filmmaker has said that the major studios in Hollywood may not want this strike to end quickly.
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Judd Apatow Spills Beans On The Writer’s Strike
Filmmaker Judd Apatow opened up about the ongoing writer’s strike at the Rock4EB benefit in Malibu, California. In an interview with Variety, the ‘Knocked Up‘ director took a dig at the studios.
“I think they probably already know what they’re going to bend on,” he said. “I would assume they already know what date this is going to end. They’ve probably been planning this for years.”
He emphasized that the studios wanted the strike to happen as they could have avoided it in the first place. Apatow then said that writers aren’t respected enough in the industry. “We’re like Twitter’s employees, that if they want to save money, they just get rid of 80 percent of the workforce,” he said.
He added, “That’s why it’s an existential problem. If the ecosystem of writers doesn’t exist, no one will learn how to do it. No one will be able to survive doing it. And then everyone will go, ‘Well, maybe I’ll write video games, maybe I’ll make TikToks at home and become an influencer.’
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The Writers Strike, Explained
In the first week of May, over 11 thousand writers working for films and television under the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on an indefinite strike. The strike started after talks between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) did not reach a fruitful conclusion.
The writers have been demanding better salaries and job security from studios. They have said that the advent of streaming platforms has affected their livelihood as they don’t receive much in royalty.
Because of this strike, the industry is expected to suffer a loss of $2 billion in revenue. This is the largest strike since the 2007-2008 one which lasted for hundred days.
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