LOS ANGELES, May 8 (Portal) – Writing for a new season of The Handmaid’s Tale and an upcoming Game of Thrones prequel has been halted amid a nearly week-long strike by thousands of film and television writers on Monday spread throughout Hollywood.
The writers of Emmy-winning Hulu drama The Handmaid’s Tale have written some early episodes for a new season before filming is scheduled to begin in late summer, said co-executive producer and writer Yahlin Chang.
Writing on the dystopian drama halted when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called a strike last week, Chang told Portal on Monday.
A Hulu representative declined to comment.
Also on Monday, Game of Thrones writer George RR Martin said in a blog post that the writers’ room for the prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight was “closed for the duration of the strike.”
The WGA began a walkout on May 2 after failing to secure a new employment contract with higher wages from Hollywood studios including Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N). The studios have said they made a “generous” offer to increase compensation.
Late night talk shows went dark immediately, and some TV series and movies followed. The final season of Netflix hit Stranger Things has been paused. The Marvel movie Blade, starring Mahershala Ali, was pulled just before filming was due to begin.
The Hedge Knight was touted by Warner Bros executives last month as one of the marquee series in development for HBO Max’s new name, Max.
Set 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones, a time when the Targaryen line holds the Iron Throne, the series focuses on a young knight and his squire.
Warner Bros has not announced a release date for The Hedge Knight.
Filming on the second season of House of the Dragon, another Game of Thrones prequel, began in April, Martin said, and will continue in London and Wales. All eight episodes have already been written and edited, he said.
Martin also expressed his “unequivocal support” for the WGA.
“I hope the writers get a fair deal as soon as possible,” US President Joe Biden said at a White House screening of the film “American Born Chinese” as part of a celebration of Asian American, Hawaiian and Pacific Natives Month of island heritage.
It is unclear how long the strike will last. No new talks are planned between the Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group negotiating on behalf of the studios.
“Perhaps tomorrow the AMPTP members will come to their senses and offer some meaningful concessions and the whole thing can be wrapped up next week,” Martin said. “I wouldn’t bet the ranch on that though… I’ve never seen the guild so united as it is now.”
Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Aurora Ellis
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.