THE Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a “tentative agreement” on a new contract with Hollywood studios that, if backed by the union’s members, could end their current strike.

The dispute has brought the industry to a standstill for nearly five months.

In an email to members, the union said on Sunday that the deal had been made possible by “the enduring solidarity of WGA members and extraordinary support of our union siblings who joined us on the picket lines for over 146 days.”

The three-year contract agreement, reached after five days of marathon talks between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), will need to be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.

The union emphasised to its members that the strike was not over and no-one was to return to work until hearing otherwise, but picketing should be suspended immediately.

The terms of the possible deal were not immediately announced, but it came just five days before the strike would have become the longest in the guild’s history and the longest Hollywood strike in more than 70 years.

This possible new contract for screenwriters does not yet mean a return to business as usual in Hollywood, as talks have yet to resume between studios and the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (Sag-Aftra). 

In a statement, the actors’ union said: “Sag-Aftra congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.

“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.”

The statement added that the guild continued “to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”

The possible agreement to end the writers’ strike was reached after talks resumed on Wednesday for the first time in a month. 

Major industry figures such as Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Zaslav of Warner Brothers reportedly took a direct role in the negotiations.

The walkout was the first by screenwriters since 2007.

On July 14, more than two months into the strike, the writers were joined in their action by 65,000 film and television actors.

It was the first time that the two unions had been on strike together since 1960.