During the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America strike, Amazon Prime Video will apparently continue filming Season 2 of Rings of Power without the showrunners on set.
As first reported by Variety, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay won’t be on set because they’re also writers on the show. According to WGA strike rules, the pair and any other writer-producers are barred from participating in any writing-based duties, including making any creative decisions. In its rules, the WGA writes:
“The Guild strongly believes that no member should cross a WGA picket line or enter the premises of a struck company for any purpose. Under applicable law, however, the Guild may not discipline a hyphenate for performing purely non-writing services.”
Apparently, Rings of Power’s second season still has 19 days of filming left, and the show’s non-writing producers and directors (Lindsey Weber, Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Louise Hooper) are now overseeing the rest of production. Rings of Power’s production has hit some other bumps recently, with a fire reportedly breaking out and a horse dying on set, which drew backlash from PETA.
Variety has revealed that the production of Rings of Power has employed multiple units working simultaneously, including those dedicated to night shoots. This approach has enabled the series to continue filming despite the ongoing writer’s strike. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, demonstrating foresight and collaboration, had already made contingency plans with the rest of the crew in anticipation of a potential writer’s strike.
On the other side of things, Variety also reported this week that House of the Dragon wouldn’t be halting production of Season 2 during the strike, which is currently filming in the U.K.
Pressure continues to build on studios and productions as the WGA continues to negotiate fairer salaries for writers, on top of other issues like the industry’s approach to AI. One of the major issues the WGA is fighting for is a guaranteed number of weeks of employment for TV writers.
This is the first writer’s strike in Hollywood since the 2007-2008 TV season, which reportedly cost the L.A. economy $2.1 billion. Stay tuned to CGMagazine for all the details as more productions tackle the ongoing issue of the WGA strike.
