A previous Marvel show was removed from Disney+ with little to no warning.
Tensions are high in the entertainment industry right now.
For one, the Writer's Guild of America has been on strike since May, causing no new scripts or changes to be written for any studio-distributed projects. Because of this, production for big projects like Thunderbolts, Blade, and Daredevil: Born Again was indefinitely put on hold.
The situation got worse when SAG-AFTRA, the guild behind a majority of the actors in the industry, couldn't reach a deal with the studios. This led to a second strike going into effect, immediately stopping productions like Deadpool 3 in their tracks.
Disney's Sudden Marvel Disney+ Removal
In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Runaways actors Ariela Barer (who played Gert Yorkes) and Clarissa Thibeaux (who played Xavin) spoke out against Disney for its recent sentiments regarding the demands from actors and writers that led to the current ongoing strikes.
Barer was quick to call into question the studios' respect for its own talent, pointing out how her Marvel television show, Runways, was removed from Disney+ in May of this year "without any warning."
This comes after Disney CEO Bob Iger stated on record that the actors' and writers' demands were “just not realistic,” something everyone striking strongly disagrees with.
The key demands from both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA include requests for a fairer split of profits, better working conditions, increased residuals owed to the creatives, protection against AI work, and more.
The situation is so bad that one of the studios' proposals offered to pay background actors $200 for their likeness and image to then indefinitely use them for no extra payments—needless to say, many found issues with this.
The Runaways duo further noted how "it doesn't feel great to read that your labor is not appreciated" and that "[they're] asking for basic respect for our work:"
“It doesn’t feel great to read those comments, it doesn’t feel great to read that your labor is not appreciated... I think that what we were asking for is incredibly realistic, and incredibly important. We’re asking for basic respect for our work.”
But Why Remove Runaways From Streaming?
So why was Runaways taken off the service in the first place?
Studios have recently gotten into the habit of pulling shows off of streaming services in cost-saving efforts. This new tendency has, rightfully so, drawn ire from everyone outside of the studio executive circles.
It's a shortcut for the studios to avoid paying residuals to the creatives responsible for the project. That's not to mention how taking these shows off its streaming service then makes it extremely difficult for audiences to actually find and watch them in the future.
The Runaways actors are far from the only ones to speak up during the recent strike unrest.
She-Hulk writer Cody Ziglar called out Disney for his extremally low residual check for the episode he wrote, which was a measly $396.
Hopefully, the guilds and studios can start negotiating again soon, and everything can get back on track.
Until that happens, fans should be bracing themselves for a cascade of delays across the entire medium.
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