'Haunted Mansion' premiere a ghost town as Hollywood goes on strike

Actors and writers are fighting the rise of AI in films, among other issues including pay and conditions

US content creator Kurt Tocci attends the premiere of 'Haunted Mansion' in Anaheim, California on July 15, 2023. EPA

The world premiere for Disney's star-studded film Haunted Mansion became the first major Hollywood event to go ahead without its actors, including Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis, due to an industry strike.

Among the film stars scheduled to walk the red carpet were Jared Leto, Owen Wilson and Tiffany Haddish, as well as LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson and Dan Levy, but the Sag-Aftra (the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike announced on Thursday meant the actors could no longer attend Saturday's event held in front of the theme park's Haunted Mansion ride in Anaheim, California.

It comes as members of US union joined writers who were already striking outside major production companies in Los Angeles, including Warner Bros, Netflix and Disney, as well as in New York.

Academy Award winner Curtis was among those showing her support, sharing a video of herself at Sag-Aftra as members stapled together picket signs to be used during the strike, saying: "The click click click of solidarity. Amazing."

The 64-year-old A Fish Called Wanda star joined thousands of performers on picket lines in the biggest entertainment industry strike in six decades, which threatens to derail productions both home and abroad and could last "until the end of the year", Succession star Brian Cox previously warned.

Other stars spotted on picket lines included Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, Thelma & Louise actress Susan Sarandon, Lord Of The Rings star Sean Astin and Gilmore Girls star Sean Gunn, the brother of Guardians Of The Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said it was clear that the entertainment industry “is at a historic inflection point.” She urged all parties to work around the clock until an agreement is reached.

“This affects all of us and is essential to our overall economy,” Ms Bass said in a statement.

Meanwhile, celebrities including George Clooney, Halle Berry and Alec Baldwin have also expressed support for the strikes, which come after the US union and Hollywood studios failed to reach an agreement after more than four weeks of negotiations, with actors wanting better pay and increased safeguarding around artificial intelligence (AI) rights among their demands.

The union said actors face an "existential threat to their livelihoods" with the rise of generative AI technology and the threat of unregulated use.

Agencies contributed to this report.