The writers’ strike kicked off in earnest on Tuesday morning, leaving many productions up in the air. But will 2025's Superman: Legacy be delayed?
James Gunn’s much-anticipated Superman reboot movie has been in its pre-production phase for a few weeks.
Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers were not able to reach an agreement for a new contract this week, resulting in a much-publicized strike on the part of the writers.
Until the strike is resolved (which will happen when the two sides come to an agreement) no member of the Guild is permitted to do any writing work for studios. Naturally, this will throw Hollywood into chaos, but it seems James Gunn remained prepared.
Superman: Legacy Likely Not Affected by Writers’ Strike
According to The Wrap, director James Gunn turned in his first draft of the screenplay for Superman: Legacy last week, just days before the Writers Guild of America went on strike.
The film is currently in the process of casting its characters and won’t start filming until the first quarter of 2024. This would mean that the movie will most likely go into production unhindered by the strike, depending on how long it lasts.
However, other DC Studios productions could indeed be impacted. Recently-announced projects such as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and The Authority, while currently without publicly-known release dates, could have their production timelines delayed if the strike were to go on for a lengthy amount of time.
How Long Will the Strike Last?
Of course, as is the case with strikes, they could last a matter of weeks or much longer like a few months. But the WGA sees it as a necessary step for these writers, who are responsible for scripting the content that is loved by so many, to be paid what they deem they’re worth.
The last WGA strike occurred in 2007 and lasted 100 days. This strike impacted dozens of TV shows and feature films and ultimately cost Hollywood over 1 billion dollars.
Before that, there was a strike in 1988 which went on for a whopping 22 weeks. But then, just three years earlier, another writers’ strike lasted only 2 weeks.
Basically, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long the 2023 strike could ultimately run, and it’s highly probable that DC’s output will be affected. Films that have already completed filming, like The Flash and Blue Beetle will release unscathed as they’re already in post-production. The same goes for the final season of Titans on HBO Max.
Superman: Legacy arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.
