Simon Pegg cancels film screening event in solidarity with Hollywood actors' strike
Simon Pegg has announced the cancellation of an event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his film The World’s End "out of respect" for the actors’ strike.
The final instalment in the Three Flavours Cornetto film trilogy – which also includes Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz, and was directed by Edgar Wright – was set to be screened next Thursday at the BFI in London.
The event was also set to include a question and answer session with Pegg and Nick Frost, who star in all three films, along with Wright.
In an Instagram post, Pegg wrote: "Out of respect to the ongoing Sag-Aftra strike, we are postponing next week’s 10th anniversary for The World’s End at the BFI on July 27th with myself, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost.
"We’d like to apologise to anyone who changed or made plans to attend the screening and we promise to reschedule at an appropriate time.”
The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra) has been holding industrial action since failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The union, which represents around 160,000 actors across the US, has concerns over a number of issues including pay and the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Writers Guild of America started industrial action on May 2, before Hollywood stars were pictured on the picket lines in the US this week.
Pegg said tickets for his event will be refunded, adding: “We send our very best to all those taking a stand and hope for a fair and equitable resolution.”
The Mission Impossible franchise star also encouraged actors and others to attend a demonstration on Friday in Leicester Square, London, along with members of performing arts union Equity.
The British union, which is not striking, announced earlier this week it would hold protests in Manchester and London in solidarity with Sag-Aftra.
American actor Rob Delaney, who co-wrote and starred in comedy Catastrophe along with Sharon Horgan, has already said he will attend.
According to Sag-Aftra, some producers of independent films are being granted waivers to continue shooting despite the strike, as long as they are operating outside the studio system.
The latest to be given the exemption include Weekend Escape Project, which Dracula Untold star Luke Evans has been seen filming in Taiwan, and The Summer Book that has seen Fatal Attraction actress Glenn Close travel to Finland to star in.
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