The ongoingHollywood strikesare based on industriousness issues that stretch back a foresightful time , withThe Matrix Reloadedbeing a substantial marker for one government issue in particular . Hollywood ’s current matrimony strikes first began on May 1 , 2023 , when the Writer ’s Guild of America ( WGA ) went on strike , with SAG - AFTRA following suit on July 14 . The combined WGA and SAG - AFTRA strikes are the first case of both unions being on strike at the same time since 1960 and have efficaciously brought Hollywood moving picture and television production to a hitch over numerous disputes between the two unions and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ( AMPTP ) .

Among the most significant yield at hand are pay dispute for screenwriters and actors ( notably residuals from streaming platforms ) and the growing prevalence of A.I. as a tool of film production . While it might seem current issuesWGA and SAG - AFTRA are striking overhave only arise in the retiring few geezerhood , both have been substantial concerns for a farsighted time , withThe Matrix Reloadedbeing a support - out model of how far back the consternation over A.I. stretches . As it turn out , none other than soldierly artistic creation motion picture caption Jet Li would encounter the very A.I. issue that SAG - AFTRA has lift major business about in the union ’s strike .

Jet Li Turned Down Seraph Because Of An Issue SAG-AFTRA Is Striking For

ForThe Matrix Reloaded , Jet Li had been offer the office of the Oracle ’s bodyguard Seraph , which Li ultimately turned down ( with Collin Chou in the end playing Seraph ) . In 2018,Li revealed why he turned down the part in theMatrixsequelsin an interview , explain that " they want to record and copy all my moves into a digital library . By the remainder of the recording , the right to these moves would go to them . ” A former competitive Wushu champion in China , Li feel uncomfortable with his years of training potentially being copyright " as an intellectual property , " which led him to correct the role .

Among the issues at hand in SAG - AFTRA ’s current strike , the wedlock has stated that AMPTP had wanted to be able to do body scans of background actors , for which they would get a one - time , savorless rate . The background doer ’s digital likeness would then become the copyrighted belongings of the studio doing the scan , allow them to punch the performer ’s digitalise likeness into succeeding picture and boob tube evince without further compensation for the doer in dubiousness . The proposal is fundamentally the issue that direct Jet Li to turn downThe Matrix Reloadedand shew the current WGA and SAG - AFTRA ’s have been a long time follow .

Why Actor’s Likeness Is So Central To The SAG Strike

The beginning cause of WGA and SAG - AFTRA ’s twofold strikes lies in both conglutination dissent mismatched remuneration for writers ' and player ' contributions to the film industry , while the A.I. component speaks to much larger concerns . With studio stray towards relying upon A.I. for scripting and even greenlighting entire projects , screenwriters are justifiably concerned about being phased out in favour of computerized tools of movie making and storytelling . Likewise , worker have valid concerns about being replace with digital puppets , and the marriage proposal put forth by AMPTP only makes those business more significantas part of SAG - AFTRA ’s strike .

With the hike of A.I. , thespian could not only face lose out on employment , but major studios profiting from their semblance without actor being duly compensate . The entailment of such a digital database of actors are one of numerous issues to bring Hollywood to a standstill for the foreseeable hereafter . It ultimately seems that Jet Li ’s declined portrayal of Seraph inThe Matrix Reloadedwas the stool pigeon in the coalmine of the present - dayHollywood bang .

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Neo with his hand up in The Matrix

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The Matrix