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When writers first took to the picket lines on May 2, Hollywood\u2019s optimists<\/a> predicted that the two sides could work out their differences by July. Then about 160,000 actors and performers joined the fight. Now, as the strikes stretch on, Hollywood\u2019s favorite guessing game has, for many, become a lot less fun to play. Sure, writers are saying publicly that they\u2019re willing to strike as long as it takes to get the deal they deserve, but privately they\u2019re worrying about when they\u2019ll see their next paycheck. Even Disney CEO Bob Iger,<\/strong> who in July<\/a> called the actors\u2019 and writers\u2019 demands \u201cjust not realistic,\u201d has taken a more conciliatory tone. \u201cIt is my fervent hope that we quickly find solutions to the issues that have kept us apart these past few months, and I am personally committed to working to achieve this result,\u201d he said during a call with investors on Wednesday.<\/p>\n On Friday, August 11, the Writers Guild of America is formally returning to the negotiating table with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. But most people agree that the writers won\u2019t return to work until fall at the earliest. And though they seem likely to get a deal done before the actors, there won\u2019t be much work to do until SAG-AFTRA finalizes its own contract. Below, a handful of industry sources give us their anonymous (read: unvarnished) thoughts about just how nigh the end is.<\/p>\n The Showrunner<\/strong><\/p>\n Prediction:<\/em> October<\/p>\n Why:<\/em> I think August is out and so is September. It largely boils down to the Hollywood calendar. Labor Day and Jewish holidays make September tough to get things done. If you can\u2019t sell a pitch at certain times of the year, you probably can\u2019t settle a strike then either. When that asshole<\/a> said they were going to make us lose our houses and apartments by the end of October, that wasn\u2019t a random date. The end of October is a very real deadline on the calendar because nothing gets done in November and December.<\/p>\n The Agent<\/strong><\/p>\n Prediction:<\/em> October<\/p>\n Why:<\/em> I\u2019m an optimist. I have to believe in that because I\u2019ll pull out my hair if it goes beyond that. We\u2019ve already blown through 90 days. That\u2019s crazy. Now you\u2019re seeing people reporting their losses\u2014Endeavor said [it expects to lose] $25 million a month\u2014because people need to feel like we\u2019re all suffering together. My fear is that this is a Q4 consideration and we refresh in 2024, which would be really damaging to a lot of companies and people and businesses, from Hollywood to restaurants to everything else.<\/p>\n The Executive<\/strong><\/p>\n Prediction:<\/em> October<\/p>\n Why:<\/em> All of us, the studios and the streamers, are having to assess what it\u2019s like to put out these very expensive investments without the support of talent. Is that a sustainable model? The intensity and the need to really address it are reaching a critical point. We\u2019re operating on a mid-October conclusion for both strikes, just in terms of business planning. Is that accurate? Is that real? Crystal balls are pretty foggy, but that seems to be the conventional wisdom.<\/p>\n The Producer<\/strong><\/p>\n Prediction:<\/em> Early 2024<\/p>\n Wh<\/em>y: I don\u2019t think the sides will truly<\/em> start talking for a few months. Emotions are still too high, and SAG striking reactivated even the lesser emotional ranks of the WGA. Once the holidays get closer, the financial realities will calm everything down on the guilds\u2019 side. On the studio side, I\u2019m guessing the legacy media companies\u2014who are hurting much more than the tech streamers\u2014will start pressuring the others to either come back, or jump out of the AMPTP. Overall, the AMPTP needs are not aligned, and the guilds aren\u2019t aligned, but they both are going to have to eventually give. And it\u2019ll take a few months once they truly begin, in earnest, to hammer out a deal.<\/p>\n The Publicist<\/strong><\/p>\n Prediction:<\/em> Not anytime soon<\/p>\n Why:<\/em> More and more it feels like this strike is going through November and then everyone will tune out until year\u2019s end. Everyone is really anxious. There\u2019s no end in sight, and it\u2019s relentless.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n