Phil Lord and Christopher Miller call on AMPTP to ‘come to their senses’ and resolve strikes

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the producer duo behind new film Strays as well as the Spider-Verse movies, have their ‘fingers crossed’ the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes will be resolved.

Watch our exclusive chat with Lord and Miller below:

Actors and film industry staff are currently on strike in solidarity with their Writers’ Guild of America colleagues.

This is because of matters including dispute over pay, conditions and use of AI technology.

And while strikes mean writers and actors currently can’t do promo for their upcoming movies, UNILAD were able to speak to the producers ahead of the release of Strays on 17 August.

The new R-Rated comedy sees an abandoned, adorable pup named Reggie team up with stray dogs to seek hilarious revenge on his old owner. The flick stars Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, who Miller called the ‘best to ever do it’.

Universal

Strays comes following the success of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, the second of the animated action-comedy movie series, written and produced by the pair.

The film was a hit at the box office, grossing over $600 million globally and Miller says the response from audiences ‘remains gratifying’.

He explained: “The theory that we're trying to do on all the films that we work on, is we're trying to do something that you haven't seen before. And this film [Strays] is no different in that there's never been a film that is quite like this.

“So, you're always trying to put something new into the world and hope that audiences come along for the ride.”

And Miller adds the ‘joy’ of this unique new comedy is seeing ‘sweet dogs say the most raunchy, filthy things’.

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Since previously telling UNILAD that the third Spider-Verse will be the final movie, this time Lord confirmed they’re ‘definitely all hard at work trying to put together a worthy conclusion’.

But the strikes do mean it has been delayed indefinitely.

"It will take a minute," Lord admitted.

And the same goes for their other films as ‘once the strike is resolved’, the pair are ‘looking to do a movie called Project Hail Mary’.

But for the current time, Miller says ‘there’s some picketing’.

“And some fingers crossing,” Lord added.

With the producer-writer duo’s films currently on pause, Miller continued: “And so I’m hoping that AMPTP can come to their senses and put forward a fair deal that compensates people fairly.”

Strays lands in cinemas on 17 August.