A historic double strike that will effectively shut down Hollywood appears imminent after a union representing nearly all TV and film actors failed to secure a new contract with major studios by a midnight Wednesday deadline. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced overnight that its negotiating committee had voted unanimously to recommend its 160,000 members strike, after weeks of negotiations with companies such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Warner Bros. disintegrated. SAG-AFTRA will hold a news conference at noon Los Angeles time, after its national board votes on whether to make the strike official, joining an ongoing walkout by Hollywood writers for the first time in 63 years.
