'The Last of Us' screenwriter discusses Hollywood strike: Unions will win

Craig Mazin, screenwriter for Chernobyl and The Last of Us, recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing strike by American TV and film writers and actors, expressing his support and belief that the writers will eventually win. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Mazin said that the union needs to push for a "re-creation" rather than trying to change and adjust the existing established situation.

“We have to make some huge, radical changes because everything around us is broken,” he said. “We have nowhere else to go. We are at the end of our rope as a workforce. We all know the writers who make millions. This is not about them. This is about the 95 percent of the rank and file who make up the union.”

Mazin went on to say that for months members of the AMPTP (the group that represents film and television studios like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon) have been in a state of "delusion." He claimed that the studios believed they could outlast the writers and actors and make them fight among themselves. Mazin argued that if that strategy worked before, it won't work this time.

“This is unlike any other negotiation I’ve seen in 30 years,” Mazin said. “It has one core: This is terrible, we all hate it, but it can’t be tolerated any longer. Every day the company waits for it to be over is just delaying the inevitable. They’re spending more money, and I can’t understand why they don’t just fix it now.”

"I do think that their delusional phase is finally over, and now we just have to deal with some other issues, like fear and hubris. This will end, and when it ends, it will end in a way that satisfies the Writers Guild. I have no doubt about that. We don't have any other choice."

This is the first time that the unions representing writers and actors have gone on strike together since 1960. The SAG strike began during the London premiere of "Oppenheimer," when the entire cast walked out of the theater. The Writers Guild strike began in May.

Writers and actors are seeking higher pay, ratings-based streaming compensation, and protections against AI.

According to DEADLINE, the Writers Guild met with the AMPTP on August 15, and the talks ended with "mixed results." There is no news on when the three parties will return to the negotiating table.