‘Death of a Unicorn’ starring Jenna Ortega will continue production during strike
It has been reported that the new film starring Jenna Ortega, Death of a Unicorn, is one of a small few set to continue with production through the ongoing strikes in Hollywood.
The news follows the Screen Actors Guild – SAG-AFTRA – commencing a strike last week. The union represents 160,000 actors and performers and is seeking increased base pay and residuals in the streaming age. It is also demanding safeguarding against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence in the industry.
Many Hollywood projects have halted production following the strike and will do so until the strike ends. However, the new Jenna Ortega movie, which stars her and Paul Rudd as a father and daughter who run over a unicorn, has allegedly been allowed to restart production, per NME. The A24 production will continue to progress after SAG-AFTRA allowed production by studios or companies not represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Notably, the actors’ strike is running alongside that of the Writers Guild of America, which commenced on May 2nd. This is the first time in over 60 years that Hollywood writers and actors have struck simultaneously.
Responding to the strike, AMPTP, the representatives of major studios like Disney and Netflix, asserted that a “strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life”.
“The Union has regrettably chosen a path that will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people who depend on the industry,” it continued.
Elsewhere, speaking on SquawkBox, Disney CEO Bob Iger, labelled the strike action “disturbing”.
He said: “It’s very disturbing to me. We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from Covid, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”.
In response, actor and president of SAG-AFTRA, Fran Drescher, rebuked Iger for his comments. “I found them terribly repugnant and out of touch,” she said of the CEO’s statement. “Positively tone deaf…I don’t think it served him well. If I were that company, I would lock him behind doors and never let him talk to anybody about this”.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.