Rosy Cordero/Deadline
SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are back at the table today to continue discussions toward resolving the actors’ strike that has been ongoing for over 100 days.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator, told Deadline that he was “cautiously optimistic” about talks with the studios.
Crabtree-Ireland made a quick stop at Paramount, where the union hosted the Hip Hop Alliance and its co-founder Kurtis Blow, before returning to the guild’s offices on Wilshire Boulevard to meet with the likes of Carol Lombardini, Disney’s Bob Iger and Donna NBCU’s Langley, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav.
“We are continuing negotiations today and are 100% focused on reaching a fair deal at the negotiating table. That’s where it goes. That’s what it’s all about. I’m cautiously optimistic that this can happen. “I don’t want to really characterize what’s going on in the room, but we’re really focused on staying prepared and focused on getting the negotiations done,” he told Deadline.
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(WATCH) We spoke to SAG-AFTRA’s Duncan Crabtree-Ireland outside of Paramount today before he heads back to the negotiating table with the AMPTP: “We’re conducting further negotiations today. 100% focused on getting a fair deal…” #SAGAFTRAStrong pic.twitter.com/h9xzMvfhZb
– Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 26, 2023
“There are a lot of people out there with rumors going around and whispering campaigns and things like that. We are not paying attention, we are focused on the negotiations and we are really looking forward to reaching an agreement as quickly as possible,” he added.
That’s because the talks scheduled for Wednesday didn’t happen after all, although that was more because SAG-AFTRA wanted more time to go through the AMPTP’s latest proposals so they could think about it, crunch the numbers and come back with theirs Thoughts in the studios.
“This happens all the time in negotiations like this. Shows that people are serious, and that’s a good thing,” a source told Deadline.