Posted in: AMC, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV, Walking Dead | Tagged: amptp, interview with the vampire, opinion, SAG-AFTRA, The Walking Dead, wga, writers' strike

The World Needs Rick Grimes: AMC, SAG-AFTRA (Sorry, AMPTP); Next Up?

AMC Networks' interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA for The Walking Dead spinoffs & Interview with the Vampire should have the AMPTP worried.

And Danai Gurira's Michonne. And Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon. And Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier. And Sam Reid's Lestat de Lioncourt. And Jacob Anderson's Louis de Pointe du Lac. And Eric Bogosian's Daniel Molloy. And Delainey Hayles' Claudia. On Thursday, AMC Networks didn't just announce that it had secured interim agreements with SAG-AFTRA for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon to resume filming Season 2 in Europe, for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live to finish post-production, and for Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire to resume filming Season 2 in Prague. It kicked down the door, cleared out a hallway filled with "walkers," and cleared a path to SAG-AFTRA for any AMPTP studio that wants it known that maybe folks like Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Disney CEO Bob Iger don't necessarily speak for them when it comes to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA & WGA strikes.

Look… full disclosure? Maybe we're making too much of this. Maybe it's only about those three shows. Maybe this is just one of those "one-offs" that's more the exception and less the rule. It could very well be our inner fanboy getting his hopes up. Because the thought of "The Walking Dead" (with no disrespect meant toward our second favorite AMC series, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire) being a part of what could end up breaking the AMPTP is just too metaphorically sweet not to appreciate. But what if we're not? What if this is another major change across the pop culture landscape? We asked the question last month: Why can't studios & streamers cut their own deals with SAG-AFTRA & WGA, effectively bypassing the AMPTP? Based on what went down on Thursday, it would appear the answer is "They can."

For most of the AMPTP's run, its success was built on the foundation of a lot of really rich entertainment industry folks wanting to stay really rich, getting together to make sure their riches were protected – they were unified by their collective greed & fear of the creative community getting a chance to really look at the books. But streaming – and the fallout of too many folks wanting to be like Netflix – has changed the landscape dramatically. One company's failings are now blood in the water to other companies looking for more love from Wall Street – and willing to do anything to get it back. Sure, that fear of giving content creators too much power still exists – but does anyone believe that Zaslav cares about Iger's financial success – or vice-versa? Or that either of them are concerned about AMC Networks' well-being as they take hardline, privileged positions on the unions' concerns?

And just to be clear? Getting an interim agreement from a studio is a major win for either SAG-AFTRA or WGA because that means that the studio is agreeing to meet the requirements that the unions are looking for. Nothing is being "waived" (which is why "waivers" really is a poor phrase to use), and the unions are meeting their missions – to do right by their members. So… who should follow AMC Networks' lead? I would say any studio out there with major productions that can't afford another pandemic-like production delay – except this one is self-inflicted. In particular, productions outside of North America – where production location availability becomes a major factor – should be eyeing this option. While we're in no position to speak for either union and that they would prefer to reach agreements within the established structure that's been in play for years, it looks like SAG-AFTRA and WGA are "open for business" when it comes to their willingness to go with a studio-by-studio agreement if they need to. After this week, why wouldn't AMC Networks meet with both unions to start work on "Dead City" Season 2 and Anne Rice's Mayfair Witcher Season 2? And with every instance in which that happens, it's another crack in the AMPTP's foundations. Well, if nothing else? It looks like the AMPTP's new PR crisis management team will be earning its pay…

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