Disney TV Entertainment divisions suspend deals with producers amid WGA strike

Disney has suspended overall and first-look deals with producers almost five months into the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.

Majority of the deals with non-writing producers across Disney TV Entertainment divisions have been impacted, including deals at Disney Television Studios’ 20th Television and ABC Signature, FX Productions and Disney Branded Television.

According to Deadline, the move involves producers who are out of work due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Disney will pay for the suspended term deals to provide salaries for their assistants through the end of this year and for their development executives through the first week of October.

The list of suspensions include deals with Not Dead Yet star Gina Rodriguez and ThIs Is Us alums Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore at 20th Television, Yara Shahidi (grown-ish) and director-producer Marc Webb (Rebel) at ABC Signature as well as The Bear executive producer Hiro Murai, Pose alum Billy Porter and Stacey Sher at FX Productions. 

Disney joins Warner Bros Television, NBCUniversal Studio Group and CBS Studios, who implemented deal suspensions last week.

WBTV’s list of suspensions included Greg Berlanti, Bill Lawrence and Mindy Kaling.

The NBCUniversal studios — both film and TV — suspended the pacts for all non-writing producers who no longer perform services due to the ongoing strikes, including Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video and Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Prods.

CBS Studios paused several deals with with non-writing producers, including Phil McGraw and his production company Stage 29 and DeVon Franklin and his Franklin Entertainment. 

TV studios initiated the first slew of  overall and first-look deal suspensions with writers back May, just days into the WGA strike.