“To be clear: 1. We’ve agreed to all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement. 2. Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations,” the show said in a tweet on Sunday.
“The Chosen” is the first reported series to be granted an exemption from the strike, according to Deadline.
In its original announcement about the pause in filming due to the strike, director Dallas Jenkins said on the show’s Twitter account: “Unfortunately, despite the requested work we did on our end, an exemption for us will not be granted in time to avoid a shutdown. We will do a little filming tomorrow of everything that doesn’t require our cast, and then we’ll wait and hope that either the strike ends (unlikely soon), or that we’re granted an exemption and can resume filming.”
“Yes, it’s upsetting and will cost time and money … but we bring our 5 loaves & 2 fish. God handles the rest,” Jenkins added.
SAG-AFTRA’s strike is in response to failed negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents major studios such as NBCUniversal, Disney, Netflix, and others.
According to the SAG-AFTRA, inflation and a major shift to streaming media have struck the industry, negatively affecting workers’ compensation.