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Disney Marvel Studios is reportedly restructuring its television division, a decision coinciding with the new Writers Guild of America (WGA) deal. The restructuring and the WGA deal together could have far-reaching implications. Some of the implications include the elimination of "woke" diversity hires.
Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of Disney, has been grappling with a series of failures on its streaming platform, Disney+. Despite the blockbuster success of its films over the past decade, the studio's television shows have yet to meet audience expectations. The alleged reasons are its focus on ideological themes at the expense of storytelling.
Furthermore, the restructuring is attributed to the WGA strike that lasted the entire summer. The culmination made a new deal that could potentially affect the landscape of television writing.
The Disney Marvel pivot is for "quality" sanctity
Marvel Studios is planning to shift away from the pre-greenlit model. This plan involves approving and producing an entire series without first testing a pilot episode. This change aims to ensure that only high-quality content makes it to the screen. Additionally, Marvel is looking to hire experienced television executives to oversee their projects. This practice also differs from their previous practice of mixing and matching individuals from the film side of operations.
The new WGA deal has introduced clauses that could significantly impact hiring practices in the industry. The Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) now clearly states that a showrunner must be a union writer. Subsequently, it gives them more authority in selecting the writing staff. This transformation, along with the requirement for company approval of selected writers, could lead to a more merit-based hiring system. As a result, diversity hiring may take a back seat.
Industry reactions to the decision
The changes have elicited mixed reactions from industry insiders and observers. While some applaud the focus on merit and quality, others express concerns about the potential reduction in diversity within writers' rooms. Furthermore, the implications of such a hiring could lead to a more homogenized storytelling approach. This decision will have a direct impact on the movie’s narrative if the story doesn’t resonate with a diverse audience.
Furthermore, screenwriter Script Doctor explained how the WGA deal would eliminate woke, diverse hires when he appeared on Midnight’s Edge in the Morning show.
"Now, with regards to those rooms, you have showrunners that would only– a real showrunner, a good showrunner is only going to hire writers that they are going to get value out of in their room. Which means that if you are a diversity hire and that’s all you’ve got going on you are of no value to a showrunner which means you are not going to get your ‘guaranteed hire’ over there. And I think that’s a good thing..”
The new WGA deal and Marvel's restructuring could set a precedent for how streaming services and studios approach content creation and hiring.
