Sean Penn slams Hollywood producers as 'Bankers Guild' amid writers' strike
'Black Flies' star Sean Penn called producers' pushback on AI restrictions a 'human obscenity'
Sean Penn showed his support for the writers of Hollywood while appearing at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Penn spoke to reporters about the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that began May 2, saying the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) should be renamed the "Bankers Guild."
"The first thing we should do in these conversations is change the Producers Guild and title them how they behave, which is the Bankers Guild," Penn said.
"It’s difficult for so many writers and so many people industrywide to not be able to work at this time. I guess it’s going to soul search itself and see what side toughs it out."
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Sean Penn shared his support for the WGA strike in Hollywood that began May 2. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
After the press conference, Penn said in a statement that he meant to refer to the AMPTP, which is negotiating on behalf of producers, not the Producers Guild of America.
The "Mystic River" actor spoke about the strike while promoting his latest film, "Black Flies."
Michael Pitt, Sean Penn, French director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, Tye Sheridan and Raquel Nave pose during a photo call for the film "Black Flies." (Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The industry has been upending the writers and actors and directors for a very long time," he noted.
"There’s a lot of new concepts being tossed about, including the use of AI," Penn added. "It strikes me as a human obscenity for there to be pushback on that from the producers."
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Sean Penn also slammed producers for pushing back on AI restrictions. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
The WGA is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show and less exclusivity on single projects, among other demands — all conditions it says have been diminished in the content boom of the streaming era. The guild is also worried about the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) in Hollywood.
The last Hollywood strike, from the same union in 2007 and 2008, took three months to resolve. With no talks or even plans to talk pending between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and production companies, there is no telling how long writers will have to go without pay or how many major productions will be delayed, shortened or scrapped.
If a strike persisted through the summer, fall TV schedules could be upended. In the meantime, those with finished scripts are permitted to continue shooting.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.