Jennifer Lopez starrer Unstoppable halts production indefinitely due to writers’ strike

Jennifer Lopez starrer Unstoppable has halted its production because of the ongoing writers’ strike. The action was taken after the movie's filming was interrupted because of picketers' protest on location at USC campus. With Aziz Ansari's Good Fortune being one of the first such films to come to a halt two weeks ago, Unstoppable is the most recent feature whose shooting schedule has been disrupted by picketers.

Besides, Marvel Studios has decided not to go into production of its upcoming titles Blade and Thunderbolts until after the strike ends. Many shows and films that were in production have been affected due to the writers protest and halted production completely, others continue to shoot without the technical team on set.   

Writers in Hollywood demand total revamp in payment structure

(Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside CBS Television City in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles | Image: AP)
 

The writers' strike began earlier this month, when more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. They are demanding better wages, higher minimum pay, more writers per show, and shorter exclusive contracts among other things. WGA is a group that represents the bulk of writers employed in Hollywood. 

Its members made the decision to stop working until an understanding with the AMPTP was achieved. At this moment, no members are allowed to produce or distribute new scripts. For those who are unfamiliar, the AMPTP is the group that bargains on behalf of all significant studios and several production companies. The WGA said in a statement, "Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios' responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing." 

More about Unstoppable starring Jennifer Lopez

(Jennifer Lopez will play Jharrel Jerome's mother in the movie | Image: Jennifer Lopez/Instagram)

Unstoppable stars the Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles. Anthony competed in wrestling at Arizona State and earned a national title despite having just one leg from birth. He stopped competing in wrestling in the early 2010s, and since 2012, he has been a commentator for NCAA wrestling. On the other hand, Lopez, who most recently had an appearance in Netflix's The Mother, will play Robles' mother in the movie.