Fans and enthusiasts of “The hunger Games‘-franchise can now breathe a sigh of relief now that things are improving!
The production company for the show has made great strides with the striking SAG AFTRA union about a new tranche that will drop very soon. Details of the agreement revealed that the union would allow the cast to promote the film as they wished, even while the strike remained in full force.
All things are set in motion for the new ‘Hunger Games’ season
SAG-AFTRA has entered into an interim agreement with Lionsgate to begin promoting the upcoming “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
The film opens on November 17 with predictions that the film will gross as much as $50 million in its first three days of release.
The new Hunger Games film is set 64 years before the events of the book and film, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and her co-stars Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Tom Blyth and Viola Davis .
The interesting lineup of casts positions the film to break box office and cinema records, especially in the wake of Lionsgate’s historic deal with SAG-AFTRA. Many films have experienced a huge drop in ticket sales this fall due to a lack of publicity of their casts under SAG-AFTRA rules.
Another star to land the interim deal between SAG and AFTRA is Taylor Swift for her “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which she heavily promoted and accompanied with a pair of performances at the Oct. 11 premiere at The Grove in LA and through social media posts.
Per DeadlineOther interim deals between SAG and AFTRA include “Priscilla,” “Iron Claw,” “Dream Scenario” and “D—-s the Musical,” with their casts appearing at film festival premieres and awards events.
The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is still ongoing, with several actors coming out to detail their experiences with low wages and insufficient residuals from film producers and studios.
The rules of the strike stated that actors may not participate in film or television productions and may not engage in film or television production and promotional events.
A welcome development for the cast of ‘The Hunger Games’
The SAG-AFTRA union’s decision was met with immense appreciation and solidarity by the show’s casts on their respective social media pages. Actress Rachel Zegler uploaded an Instagram message accompanied by a long caption following the news, which read:
“I’m so grateful for it @leeuwenpoort And @sagaftra for working so hard during this strike to reach an agreement that will allow us to participate in the press and promotion of our film, which hits theaters on November 17.”
Zegler added that Lionsgate’s efforts show that studios and the union can come to an agreement and appreciate the hard work of actors and actresses, as she described her experience making the film, writing:
“Making this film was without a doubt one of the best experiences of my life so far. I can’t wait to share more behind-the-scenes content with all of you, the fans, that make experiences like this eight million times better. there will be lots of all my beautiful friends from the cast, as well as appreciation for our crew, which is filled with people I love so much. (so watch this space! more to come.).”
The post also coincided with her and her boyfriend’s anniversary, where she also shared a photo expressing her excitement to see everyone on the press tour.
Josh Andres Rivera also followed suit on his Instagram and uploaded a movie poster featuring him, accompanied by a photo of himself and Zegler on set. The caption read:
“Thank you @leeuwenpoort And @sagaftra for reaching an agreement and allowing us to promote our film! Come to the theater on November 17 and see me cosplay as a teenager! Also performance. @rachelzeglerCheers to 2 years and 2 movies later.”
Tom Blyth added to the collection of praises and gratitude to the SAG-AFTRA body as he uploaded a poster of his character from the film and wrote:
“I am very grateful that Lionsgate has taken the step and signed today @sagaftra ‘s Interim Agreement, which demonstrates that our union’s demands are fair and equitable. Now I hope the AMPTP studios follow suit so we can get everyone back to work. I love this movie and can’t wait to share it with the fans!”