Marvel Pushes Pause On ‘Thunderbolts’ Production Due To Writers Strike

Another Marvel blockbuster has hit a roadblock.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel aired its finale episode on Friday, May 26. And quite frankly, it was marvelous.

Ellise Shafer Marvel’s upcoming “Thunderbolts” film has paused production due to the ongoing writers strike, Variety has confirmed. The movie was scheduled to begin shooting in Atlanta next month, and plans to resume production after the strike is resolved. Part of Marvel’s Phase Five, “Thunderbolts” is set to bring together the worlds of “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Black Widow” and the upcoming “Captain America” installment “New World Order.” “Paper Towns” director Jake Schreier is helming the film, with “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin penning the script from a first draft by “Black Widow” writer Eric Pearson. The “Thunderbolts” cast includes Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, David Harbout, Hannah John-Kamen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Harrison Ford, all reprising their Marvel characters. Newcomers in undisclosed roles include “The Bear” breakout Ayo Edebiri and “Minari” star Steven Yeun. The film is currently scheduled to be released on July 26, 2024.

Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell split in 2014 and have since been caught in a lengthy custody dispute over their now 9-year-old son, Jack Matfin Bell. Back in 2022, Jamie said they had shared “equal custody” of their son for seven years before, as he claimed, Evan started keeping Jack from him. The 35-year-old Thirteen alum denied these claims. However, she was trying her hardest to keep her son with her at her home in Nashville, Tennessee. But things have changed.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America strike is clearly taking a toll on production, as the Los Angeles permitting agency reported a 69.5% decline in on-location permits last week. FilmLA, which handles permitting for many jurisdictions around L.A. County, reported that there were 111 permits last week for TV and feature films. That includes reality TV, which is not covered by the WGA strike. That figure was down 69.5% from the same week in 2022, when there were 364 permits. The figure does not include permits for commercial shoots, which are also done under a separate contract.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The major broadcast networks are trying very hard this year to do what they do best – create franchise drama series built around the adventures of larger-than-life characters. Kathy Bates, Kaitlin Olson, Carrie Preston and Shanola Hampton are among the female actors hoping to click as distinctive protagonists with new series in the 2023-24 season. Bates will bring to life a next-generation “Matlock,” while Preston limns a new chapter for Elsbeth Tascioni, the attorney character she has played on and off on CBS’ “The Good Wife” and Paramount+’s “The Good Fight” since 2010. This is good news for the hundreds of international television buyers heading to Los Angeles for next week’s LA Screenings market. Another welcome development is that the largest media congloms are now on a big push to reopen their doors to third-party buyers, after a few years of holding back the biggest shows for in-house streaming services.

It was a tale of two coasts today, as WGA picketers and their allies targeted Disney’s upfront presentation in New York and also the company’s Burbank lot in Los Angeles. And the two scenes were very different.

The 2023 Daytime Emmys were expected to take place next month.

The writers strike took to the skies of Los Angeles on Monday, as a plane flew around all of the major production studios with a banner that read, “Pay the writers, you AI-holes.”

This year’s Peabody Awards ceremony has been canceled “due to the ongoing uncertainty and meaningful challenges that exist industrywide,” according to a statement from the Peabody Awards organization. The June 11 awards would have been the organization’s first in-person ceremony since 2019, as well as the first time ever in its history that the Awards would take place in Los Angeles.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large The Peabody Awards won’t be throwing a return celebration this year after all. The org has scrapped this years event, which would have been the first in-person Peabody ceremony since 2019 (before the pandemic), in the wake of the writers strike. Originally set to be held on Sunday, June 11, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, this also would have been the first Peabody Awards to be held in Southern California. “As an organization dedicated to honoring the most compelling and empowering stories in broadcasting and streaming media, we recognize and respect the position that many of this year’s Peabody Award winners find themselves in,” the org said in a statement. “Due to the ongoing uncertainty and meaningful challenges that exist industrywide, we have decided to cancel the 83rd annual Peabody Awards ceremony that was set to take place on June 11 in Los Angeles. Canceling the ceremony is extremely disappointing as this year’s 39 winners are immensely talented and have brought forth powerful stories that deserve to be celebrated.”

Bad Sisters creator Sharon Horgan has joined the writers strike for her U.S. projects, but is continuing to work on Season 2 of the Apple TV+ series.

Rep. Katie Porter joined writers on the picket line at the Culver Studios in Los Angeles on Friday in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike.

 The Hollywood writers’ strike that’s snarling the television and movie industries has now scrambled the White House schedule.

numerous postponed TV shows was also fast approaching Emmys voting season.On Sunday, WGA informed studios that it is canceling all advertising of For Your Consideration (FYC) events. “After deliberation with our legal department, all FYC production is now suspended,” WGA leadership said in an email to studio awards teams obtained by TheWrap.

Imagine Dragons, in solidarity with the writers strike, showed up at the Netflix picket line to support writers.

The presence of picketers has temporarily shuttered another production, this time in Philadelphia.

Minx Creator Ellen Rapoport has reason to celebrate today — her show has a premiere date on its new Starz home — but she hasn’t forgotten that it’s also day eight of the WGA strike.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Joe Russo is sounding the alarm about artificial intelligence. Six days before the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called for a strike, I spoke to Joe Russo at the Los Angeles premiere of “Citadel” about his concerns regarding AI. The use of AI has become a major point of contention between the guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTA). “I think everyone should be scared of AI,” Russo said. “I don’t know if you’ve heard any of the Drake ‘songs’ that have been dropping on social media, but it’s here. It’s not going anywhere.” The “Avengers” director said in order for AI to work, it must be a “tool servicing us rather than us servicing the tool.”

Production on Freeform’s Good Trouble fifth season was halted for the day as a result of WGA picketing.