Filming for Lightning strikesthe upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie centering on the franchise’s anti-heroes has been postponed due to the ongoing writers’ strike, The Hollywood Reporter And deadline report. Production was scheduled to begin in Atlanta in the coming weeks, but is now expected to begin only after the strike ends.
Lightning strikes is just the latest production affected by the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. The union representing about 11,500 writers from across film, television and other worlds went on strike early this month in a dispute over pay in an era increasingly dominated by streaming. The WGA is also trying to regulate the use of generative AI in writers’ rooms.
Production on Blade is also reportedly affected
Next Lightning strikes, there have been reports of multiple other Marvel productions being impacted by the strike action. Earlier this month The Hollywood Reporter noted that the Sheet reboot starring Mahershala Ali was the first major film to have production shut down due to the strike (the film was set to release in September 2024, though it’s unclear if this will change), and there have also been reports of Marvel TV being disrupted shows Daredevil: Born Again And Wonder man.
Marvel is far from the only studio whose projects are influenced by the standout writers. Deadline notes that TV shows have been more affected than movies in these early stages of the strike, with late-night talk shows among the most prominent early victims. Affected projects include Yellow jackets, Stranger things, Dismissal, Hacks, and forthcoming Game of Thrones spinoff The Hague Knight.
Lightning strikes was due for release in July 2024, though it’s unclear if this will change due to the production slowdown. It stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, David Harbor as Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Jake Schreier is attached to directing.
