Actors union Sag agrees deal to end longest strike in Hollywood history

US actors union Sag-Aftra has agreed a “tentative deal” with Hollywood studio bosses to end a historic 118-day strike.

The union, which represents around 160,000 members of the industry, said it had achieved a deal of “extraordinary scope” worth more than one billion dollars.

The strike, which has caused major disruption to Hollywood productions, will end officially just after midnight US Pacific time on Thursday, the Sag-Aftra union said in a statement.

The breakthrough means Hollywood can ramp up to full production for the first time since May, once union members vote to ratify the deal in the coming weeks.

Union members walked off the job in mid-July asking for an increase in minimum salaries, a share of streaming service revenue and protection from being replaced by “digital replicas” generated by artificial intelligence (AI).

Full details of the deal will not be announced until the tentative agreement is reviewed by the Sag-Aftra national board on Friday.

However, a statement from the union said it has achieved a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) of “extraordinary scope” in a contract “valued at over one billion dollars”, including protection from the threat of artificial intelligence and “unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation”.

It continued: “We have arrived at a contract that will enable Sag-Aftra members from every category to build sustainable careers, many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”

The AMPTP said the tentative agreement “represents a new paradigm”.

“It gives Sag-Aftra the biggest contract-on-contract gains in the history of the union, including the largest increase in minimum wages in the last 40 years; a brand new residual for streaming programmes; extensive consent and compensation protections in the use of artificial intelligence; and sizeable contract increases on items across the board,” it said.

On Instagram Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis wrote: “Perseverance pays off!”

“I’m relieved,” actor Fanny Grande said in an interview.

“It’s been really difficult for most people in the industry, especially people of colour. As it is, we don’t have as many opportunities. We aren’t big celebrities that have money in the bank for months. I just really hope that it’s a fair deal.”

George Clooney and other A-list stars voiced solidarity with striking actors and had urged union leadership, including Sag-Aftra president and The Nanny actor Fran Drescher, to reach a resolution.

With agencies