Posted in: Marvel, Marvel Studios, Movies, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: amazon, comic con, dc studios, Marvel Studios, netflix, peacock, sdcc, warner bros discovery

SDCC 2023 Notes: Studios Need to Adjust Pandemic Plans for Strike Prep

Was Marvel Studios the canary in the coal mine? With labor issues impacting SDCC 2023, the studios need to look to their pandemic plans.

Okay, we're going to keep this short & sweet because time is of the essence. Late on Tuesday, the news broke that Marvel Studios wouldn't be putting on a Hall H presentation at this year's San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), but they would have a presence on the convention floor. And it sounds like The Mouse's "House of Spandex" might just be the canary on the coal mind, with rumblings that others (like Universal & HBO) are also considering scaling back.

So what can the studios do to keep SDCC from becoming a shadow of its formal self once again, for reasons that were actually within our control? Well, the obvious answer is for the studios to step up and do right by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA… and give them a new deal that respects what they bring to the game.

But this time, it has to do with something a bit more self-inflicted than a global pandemic. With the ongoing WGA/AMPTP writers' strike not looking like it's going to end soon, coupled with the possibility of a SAG-AFTRA strike if a deal with the AMPTP can't be reached by the end of the month, there's no way of knowing how things might look between now and SDCC (weekend of July 21st). Simply put, if SAG-AFTRA goes on strike, then we say goodbye to actors attending to promote what they have coming up – and unless I'm mistaken, that means Hall H, the convention floor, or anywhere else at the pop culture event.

So what can the studios do to keep SDCC from becoming a shadow of its formal self once again, for reasons that were actually within our control? Well, the obvious answer is for the studios to step up and do right by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA (the DGA is currently considering ratifying a tentative agreement with the AMPTP) and give them a new deal that respects what they bring to the game. But let's say that doesn't happen. Well, then the studios need to start tearing pages out of their COVID virtual event playbooks because that's their best second option. And that means – and just to be clear, we're really hoping we're preaching to the choir – getting those famous faces with projects to promote that are coming up in front of cameras to start plugging away. Because as I'm writing this, they have only nine days before the SAG-AFTRA deadline, so time's ticking away. Also? This wouldn't be the time for studios to be stingy with the trailers, previews, first-look images, and other stuff. As much as they're playing to the attendees, the studios are also playing to us back at home/office who can't be there but still have certain expectations.

So there you have it – you're welcome, studios. Of course, you can pay me back by striking a deal this week with everyone so that we can forget that any of this ever happened.

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