At the Cannes Film Festival, the strike conversation drew input from industry heavyweights including director James Mangold, famed for Logan, Ford v Ferrari, and Indiana Jones projects, alongside Kathleen Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm. They joined a public stance that has been clearly led by the Writers Guild of America. The moment unfolded on May 2 during a press conference tied to the fifth Indiana Jones installment at the 76th International Cannes Film Festival.
IndieWire’s Eric Cohn approached Kennedy to seek a view on the ongoing labor action, noting that production on an Indiana Jones film could not realistically begin under current conditions.
Kennedy expressed a hopeful outlook for a resolution, while also advocating for an environment where industry issues can be openly discussed and debated.
She underscored the central role of screenplays and screenwriters, stating that the people behind the scripts are indispensable. The sentiment echoed by those who create movies and television programs aligns with a collective aim for fair treatment and appropriate compensation for writers.
Kennedy then touched on the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking, a topic the Writers Guild has pressed for stringent controls over. She voiced confidence that the involved parties could reach a fair agreement on this front as well.
Following the remarks, Mangold added that he and his colleagues are, of course, not actively drafting at the moment, reinforcing the industry-wide pause in the creative process.
Another voice at the event, the cinematographer, stressed that screenwriters are the first to contribute and the first to feel the impact when the process stalls. This perspective highlighted a broader concern for fair recognition and treatment of the core creative team behind productions.
The walkout on May 2 marked a pivotal moment as Hollywood writers halted work to press for improved working conditions. Despite more projects being produced annually, writers have faced reduced earnings recently due to shifts in episodic output and evolving streaming payment models. The union is calling for higher minimum wages, a clearly defined minimum staff size for writer rooms, standardized working hours, and robust safeguards on the use of artificial intelligence in production workflows. These demands reflect a broader push for sustainable, creative compensation in a changing media landscape.
Earlier at Cannes, Indiana Jones 5 had drawn attention with a 44 percent freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes during the festival screening, a figure that sits alongside the industry-wide conversations about where and how storytelling fits within modern distribution and labor standards, as noted by critics and industry observers (source compiled from festival coverage and reviews).