Anthony Mackie is calling out Hollywood conglomerates amid a potential SAG-AFTRA strike on the heels of the WGA’s own.
Since early May, the Writers Guild of America has placed a work-halt order for union members due to negotiations for fair wages and in response to the threat of A.I. entering writers’ rooms. The Directors Guild reached a deal with the AMPTP to avoid a strike; however, SAG contract negotiations in response to AI and streaming residuals are still underway.
“It’s a shit show if we go on strike,” Mackie told Inverse, noting the only way to move forward is to find a fair deal between studios and the Guild. “They’re going to have to. Unless they get a bunch of fucking YouTubers to make ‘Avengers 5′!”
The MCU actor continued, “Once the studios went public and were bought out by major companies, we were fucked. It’s no longer about art. It’s no longer about interesting, fun work. It’s about end-of-the-quarter profit sharing. It’s about shareholders. So you’re literally just raping and pillaging the industry. It’s cannibalism.”
Mackie is starring in the next phase of the MCU, “Captain America: Brave New World,” which was formerly titled “Captain America: New World Order.” Mackie portrays Sam Wilson, the new Captain America after proving his heroism as Falcon.
“There’s a huge amount of pressure,” Mackie said of leading the Marvel film. “You throw my dumb ass in the water, and you’re like, ‘Swim.’ I’m like, ‘Shit.’ But at the same time, it’s all in the state of mind. I’ve been given a great cast. I’ve been given a great group of people who I’ve worked with before.”
Director Julius Onah helms “Brave New World,” which will have “all the flying, CGI, and all that shit,” Mackie promised. “That’s going to happen.”
However, the star is still confused about the interconnected cinematic universe of Marvel.
“I’m still trying to figure out the Marvel-verse, or whatever,” Mackie said about the MCU multiverse. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what the multiverse is. Dude, I have no idea what it is. I’m still trying to figure that shit out.”
