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UPDATED: ‘Deadpool 3’, ‘Gladiator 2’, ‘Venom 3’, ‘Mission: Impossible 8′ Stop Filming Due to Actors’ Strike

by · July 14, 2023

Gladiator Mission Impossible 7 Deadpool 3

Filming on Deadpool 3 has been paused after SAG-AFTRA announced yesterday labor stoppage when the studios failed to meet their demands to sign a new contract.

 

The strike, which is the second to be called this year after the WGA stopped working on May 2, affects all productions in North America and prevents actors from doing any work, from auditioning to promoting a movie/series, and everything in between. It was uncertain how this would affect overseas productions; Deadpool 3 is filming in London, for instance. HBO shows like House of the Dragon and Industry are also filming in the UK, and because most of their cast are part of the local union Equity, filming will continue as planned. Equity is not legally allowed to strike in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA.

 

Deadpool 3 thus becomes the first major production to close shop after the work stoppage began at 12:01am PT, July 14. It was reported earlier this week that Gladiator 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 were getting ready to cease filming as well in Morocco and Australia, respectively. The FX series Alien was in pre-production in Thailand and anticipated to employ hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members, including the two leads, as Variety said, and they will no longer be able to move forward as planned. Also on the chopping block is the third season of The White Lotus, which was also going to shoot in Thailand later this year and had already pressed pause because of the WGA strike.

 

 

As far as major, comic-book productions, Deadpool 3 remained pretty much the only kid on the block. Captain America: Brave New World wrapped filming on June 30, while Marvel had delayed both Blade and Thunderbolts due to the writers’ strike. All live-action TV series were also paused because of the previous strike. However, Deadpool 3 was targeting a May 4, 2024, release date. If the strike is going to last a few weeks, as it’s widely expected, the film’s schedule, which was to wrap mid-October, will be severely impacted. That’s when a readjusting of the calendar by Disney, swapping Captain America 4 and Deadpool 3 could come in.

 

Stay tuned as the situation continues to develop.

 

UPDATE: Since the posting of the original story, which you can find above, news have come out that Gladiator 2 has pressed pause in Morocco. Also affected at Paramount is the sequel to the recently-released Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. Part Two still had a few weeks left of principal photography ahead of its June 28, 2024. Filming won’t be able to resume after the promotional tour of Part One.

 

It was stated above that no other superhero movies were filming — that was slightly incorrect, as Sony’s Venom 3 began production earlier this summer in Spain. That is no longer the case. Additionally, per Above the Line, Marvel execs Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito wrote in an email to staffers the following regarding production on Deadpool 3:

 

“We recognize how much you’ve all done on your specific projects and it’s disappointing when carefully laid plans have to shift, but constant change is the nature of the production business, and our teams are no stranger to unexpected challenges and rising to meet them. We deeply appreciate all your efforts to make the best of the situation, and we can all hope that a new agreement will be finalized soon so we can resume the great work we have in process.”

 

Also from Disney, the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has stopped filming in Hawaii, where it’s been shooting since April. In the Pacific Islands, the Mouse House was also looking to start principal photography on the Moana live-action remake this fall. Since they are unable to cast the project as long as the strike lasts, it’s unlikely they will be able to meet that schedule.

 

Meanwhile, in New York and LA, SAG-AFTRA has already started to flood the streets with picket lines:

 

 

 

 

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