Stunt Man Lights Self On Fire At Actors’ Protest (Video)

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The strikes in Hollywood remain ongoing, with the actors pulling out all the stops to make a scene on the picket line earlier this week.

While picketing against the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), a stuntman by the name of Mike Massa lit himself on fire before walking across the stage.

Both actors and writers are protesting the studios in an effort to get better protections in the streaming era, particularly following the boom of artificial intelligence in the industry.

Specifically, actors are looking for improved residual pay, which allows a major of actors to make a living. In the streaming era, however, those payments have been gutted.

SAG AFTRA, however, says that the major Hollywood studios — such as Amazon, Apple, Netflix, NBCUniversal, Sony, and Paramount— “have refused to negotiate pay raises for performers and the sharing of streaming revenue,” according to CBS News.

The strike officially began earlier this month on July 14. Seeing the success of both Barbie and Oppenheimer — which brought in a combined $244 million at the domestic box office over the weekend — will hopefully motivate the studios to come to a fair agreement with the actors, especially with the fall slate of movies on the horizon.

At this time, the Luca Guadagino film Challengers, which stars Zendaya, has been delayed to 2024 due to the strikes. Further reports indicate that Warner Bros. is considering delaying Dune: Part Two, which is scheduled to release in November, until next year.

If the strike does continue into the fall, it will be a devastating blow for an industry that just seemed to be finally recovering to its pre-2020 levels.

In addition to Dune: Part Two, other major theatrical releases on the calendar for the rest of this year include films such as The Equalizer 3, The Creator, Saw X, Kraven the Hunter, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Marvels, Napoleon, Wonka, and more.