13 Film & TV Productions That Have Gotten SAG-AFTRA Waivers
Not every film and television project is at a standstill amid the actors’ and writers’ strikes in Hollywood. As the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) continues its standoff against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the guild has been granting waivers to productions like TV’s Tehran and The Chosen.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, told Deadline that the terms of these “interim agreements” are the same as the guild’s “last counteroffer to the AMPTP on all the issues in this negotiation,” and the waiver process “reflect[s] the complexity and the business relationships and structures in this industry.”
Eligibility for the waivers depends on whether there are “AMPTP fingerprints on the project,” Crabtree-Ireland added. “If there aren’t, and we verify that through our staff, who review these things, then they’ll be eligible for an interim agreement. If there are AMPTP connections to the project, then they won’t be. That’s the big picture answer.”
In addition to the two aforementioned TV series, SAG-AFTRA has also reached interim agreements with several high-profile film projects. Read on for details about 13 exempted productions…
Bride Hard
In this action-comedy film directed by Simon West (The Expendables 2), Rebel Wilson plays “badass secret agent Sam, who has been tasked with one of her hardest missions yet — being a maid of honor for her childhood best friend,” per Deadline.
The Chosen
Death of a Unicorn
This horror-comedy stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter who hit a unicorn with their car, per its IMDb synopsis. Its hails from production company A24, which is not part of the AMPTP, Deadline explains.
Dust Bunny
Writer-director Bryan Fuller is reuniting with his Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen (pictured here) for this drama thriller, where a young girl asks her neighbor to help her slay the monster under her bed. Sigourney Weaver co-stars.
Don’t Move
From executive producer Sam Raimi, this horror movie features Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story) and Kelsey Asbille (Yellowstone) in a tale about a woman trying to outrun a killer before succumbing to the paralytic agent with which he has injected her, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Flight Risk
Mel Gibson is directing, and Mark Wahlberg stars in this suspense film, starring the latter actor as a pilot transporting a dangerous criminal ahead of a trial, according to Variety.
The Killer’s Game
An assassin who took out a hit on himself realizes he has reason to keep on living after his girlfriend discovers she’s pregnant in this action thriller boasting Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, and Ice Cube.
Mother Mary
Written and directed by David Lowery (The Green Knight), this A24 film follows the relationship between a musician (Anne Hathaway) and a fashion designer, played by Michaela Coel (pictured here), with Hunter Schafer in a supporting role.
Queen of the Ring
Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow) stars in this biopic of groundbreaking pro wrestler Mildred Burke. The film’s cast also features Walton Goggins, Deborah Ann Woll, Josh Lucas, and Tyler Posey.
The Rivals of Amziah King
Plot details about this Matthew McConaughey picture are sparse, but a press release cited by Variety calls it a “deeply atmospheric, character-focused crime thriller set against the unique backdrop of remote Oklahoma.”
Tehran
“This is project that was produced by an Israeli-based company, that’s currently being shot in Greece,” Crabtree-Ireland said of Apple TV+ series, which stars Niv Sultan as a Mossad agent dealing with a failed operation in the Iranian capital. “There’s multiple national laws that apply to exactly how we address striking that production.”
The Yellow Tie
John Malkovich, seen here, will headline this biopic film about controversial conductor Sergiu Celibidache’s journey to becoming the youngest person to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, according to Variety.
The Watchers
Directed by Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night, The Watchers is a horror movie starring Dakota Fanning, pictured above, as an artist who becomes trapped with three strangers stalked by mysterious creatures every night. According to Deadline, New Line agreed to distribute the film but didn’t sign the distribution deal before the strike.
