breaking: renowned South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and Canadian screenwriter Don McKellar have been expelled from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for allegedly working during the 2023 writers’ strike, according to reports from Variety and Télérama. The pair reportedly did not contest the decision.
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The expulsion follows the pair’s recent collaboration on the film No Other Choice, where McKellar penned the screenplay and Park Chan-wook served as director. The film is slated to premiere in competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival,running August 28 to September 7,2024,at the Lido di Venezia.
Park Chan-wook and McKellar join Anthony Cipriano (known for his work on the television series Bates Motel) as the latest writers sanctioned by the WGA. They are among seven individuals expelled in recent weeks for alleged strike violations. The WGA initiated these expulsions following an examination into writers who continued working for struck companies during the 148-day work stoppage.
The consequences of WGA expulsion are significant. According to Deadline,expelled members may lose the ability to work with companies that signed the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the WGA,including major streaming services like Disney+,HBO,and Netflix. This MOU ended the historic strike and addressed key concerns for writers.
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The 2023 WGA strike, which began on May 2nd and concluded on September 27th, centered on issues of fair compensation, the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in scriptwriting, and increased clarity regarding streaming viewership data. The resulting agreement included provisions for minimum staffing levels in writers’ rooms,residuals based on streaming performance,and limitations on the use of AI to wriet or rewrite literary material.The WGA represents over 15,000 film and television writers.
