Production on the upcoming Hulu series Saint X was shut down late last week after several crew members walked off the set of the show, which has been shooting in the Dominican Republic.
Deadline broke the news, reporting that the entire first unit grip and electric teams walked off the job, alleging that they weren’t being compensated correctly for overtime. The studio — Disney, in this case, since Saint X is produced by ABC Signature, which is part of Disney Television Studios — was reportedly paying crew workers 1.5x their rate until the 14-hour mark, which workers claim was in violation of their contracts.
The affected crew members are said to have asked ABC Signature to fix the problem or else they’d walk off after 12 hours on the job, which is exactly what happened last Friday, bringing production to a halt. The producers tried in vain to continue but some crew members picked up their equipment and left. They were subsequently fired, according to Deadline.
A spokesperson for Disney Television Studios confirmed to the trade that a number of employees were let go after “walking off the job, forcing filming to stop,” adding that they will be replaced with other U.S. union members.
While Deadline cited one source who said that members of the local 600 camera team were considering whether to exit the project in solidarity with their fellow crew members, the trade reports that a rep for ABC Signature confirmed that no one has done so. Though it’s unclear when, exactly, production will resume, it’s expected to be later this week.
Saint X is a psychological drama about the mysterious death of a young woman during a Caribbean vacation and how it creates a traumatic ripple effect that eventually pulls her surviving sister into a dangerous pursuit of the truth. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Alexis Schaitkin, it’s told via multiple timelines and perspectives that explore the Missing Girl genre.
Leila Gerstein adapted the eight-part series, which boasts the involvement of director Dee Rees. Stephen Williams is executive producing with Anonymous Content, DreamCrew Entertainment, and Schaitkin, while the young cast includes Josh Bonzie (The Politician), West Duchovny (The Magicians), Jayden Elijah (School’s Out Forever), and Victoria Pedretti (You). It’s unclear whether Pedretti walked off the series as well in support of her below-the-line colleagues.
A representative for Disney Television Studios did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Below the Line.
