Production on Evil season 4 has officially shut down after a Writer’s Guild Strike strike picketing outside the set. Evil first premiered on CBS in September 2019, but moved exclusively to Paramount+ for season 2 onwards. The series was renewed for season 4 in July 2022, and was in the midst of filming when the WGA went on strike on May 2. The WGA strike has led to the shutdown of a number of major film and television productions.
Confirmed in posts to Twitter by Warren Leight and Starlee Kine, filming on Evil season 4 shut down early in the morning on Friday after a small group of picketers protested outside the set for six hours. Though the studio and producers held out hope that they could outlast the protest, keeping the Evil crew “there for hours, sitting on the sidewalk,” filming was ultimately shut down. Check out Leight and Kine’s posts below:
What the WGA Strike Means for Upcoming Projects
Kine says that the Evil producers “were pissed” that filming was shut down, echoing sentiments from other major studios and producers. Recently, Disney, HBO, CBS, and other studios sent letters to showrunners and producers who are members of the WGA, demanding that they return to their non-writing duties. HBO even went so far as to say that WGA showrunners and producers were required to continue their duties, or the network would “not be obliged to continue [their] salary.”
While some television series and films halted shooting when the WGA strike first began, other productions have shut down amidst picketing and protesting, similarly to Evil. On May 5, strikers attempted to shut down the production of Marvel’s upcoming series Wonder Man, in the hopes of costing Disney around $200,000 for each day of shooting lost. Additionally, every late night show and Saturday Night Live are on hiatus during the strike.
Until a settlement is reached between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), it’s likely that more current and upcoming productions will be on pause indefinitely. With negotiations still in the early phases, and protests ongoing, it may still be some time before viewers will see Evil season 4 released, unless CBS attempts to move forward without its showrunners on set.
Source: Warren Leight and Starlee Kine/Twitter
