Now, Hollywood is again facing a major strike from the Writers Guild of America. The Deadline predicts that the current looming strike by the WGA could start as soon as midnight PT Tuesday when the current WGA contract with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers expires.
The Direct also informed that the guilds and the studios are locked in negotiations and insiders have stated that the two sides are still far away from a deal. With the WGA’s contract set to expire at exactly 11:59 a.m. on Monday, May 1, and no extensions of that deadline in the cards, it could very well be that the writers will walk. It seems that Deadline’s prediction will prove correct.
NPR newly reported that Writers and production companies are grappling with how to reconcile drastically different ideas of how the media business should handle streaming platforms. It’s a new version of their perennial disagreement over residual payments — the money that writers get when their material is reused. And compared to the last big strike, which lasted from 2007 to 2008, new players are involved.
“What’s new about this is who’s at the table, frankly,” Fortmueller said, listing companies such as Amazon, Apple and Netflix. “We haven’t really seen them as part of these negotiations in the past,” she added. “So I think that’s not necessarily a wild card, but it does change some of the stakes.”
As a reference point, Fortmueller cites the lengthy strike between SAG-AFTRA and video game makers that ended in 2017. Video game companies and streaming companies share key characteristics, she said, noting the tech industry’s labor conditions and standards differ from those in Hollywood.
“They’re not heavily unionized industries,” she added. “So I think they take a harder line in a lot of these regards.
On the other hand, The Directors Guild of America is also set to begin renegotiation of their contract with the studios in May as well. And while the DGA is considerably more powerful than the WGA, if they were to undergo a work stoppage on top of the writers doing the same, the impact on Hollywood’s business would be cataclysmic.
But all hope is not lost. There’s a very real possibility that an agreement can be reached, even as the clock continues to tick down to midnight tomorrow.
How Can It Be Affected Loki Season 2?
With a potential writers’ strike looming, Marvel Studios’ business could very possibly be impacted by its upcoming MCU movies. If a strike were to happen, no Hollywood writer would be permitted to do their job until a new contract was signed with the studios.
With many MCU films (and series) currently in the works, a strike would throw Marvel Studios and Disney for a major loop, as writers often rework scripts even while a movie is in production. This is obviously including Loki Season 2.
Loki Season 2 Plot
Digital Spy wrote that the specific plot of Loki season 2 is now more clear after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s end credits scene. It showed Loki and Mobius reunited in a crowd full of people watching a presentation by a man named Victor Timely. Loki and Mobius seem to be aware of something no one else is: Victor Timely is a Kang variant.
They note that he is a terrifying presence as his speech begins. While only a few lines are audible, this Kang variant also appears to be the most interested in controlling time. Seeing Loki and Mobius back together is no surprise, as previous Loki season 2 footage confirmed the friendship would live on.
The more important Loki season 2 story setup in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the idea that Loki and Mobius are searching the multiverse for Kang variants. The short scene does not provide the context or motive for this mission, so it is unclear if they are doing this on their own behalf or orders from the new TVA overlord Kang variant. In either case, Marvel certainly is setting up the idea that Loki season 2’s story revolves around Loki and Mobius going after Kang variants. Based on other parts of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, that could also mean encountering incursions.
How Did Loki Season 1 End?
The reason why Kang has been expected to be part of Loki season 2 is because of how the first season ended. The finale revolved around Loki and Sylvie finally arriving at the Citadel at the end of time, the base of operation for He Who Remains as he oversees the protection of the Sacred Timeline. This was where audiences first learned about the first Multiversal War between the different Kang variants. More importantly, it is also where He Who Remains died after Sylvie decided to reject his offer to control the timeline. The result was the Sacred Timeline branching and a warning that more Kang variants would come.