When Calls the Heart fans are eagerly awaiting the season 10 premiere on July 30. However, they are concerned as to whether season 11 will be delayed by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. According to Brian Bird, Hearties shouldn’t worry, as Hallmark will make a plan, no matter what.
Will filming of When Calls the Heart season 11 be delayed?
Hearties will recall how exciting it was to learn when When Calls the Heart season 10 was to premiere and at the same time, that filming was already ongoing for season 11. However, fast-forward to now, and with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, fans worry that season 11 will be delayed.
When Calls the Heart season 11 is supposed to start filming on July 17. However, recently, SAG-AFTRA, the American Actors’ Guild, voted unanimously to strike. This comes in the wake of the ongoing WGA writers’ strike that started on May 1. Will this affect filming in the Vancouver, BC area>
Hallmark’s When Calls The Heart Season 11 is supposed to start filming on July 17. However, just a few days ago, SAG-AFTRA, the American actors guild voted unanimously to strike. This is in addition to the WGA strike that began on May 1. Does this mean that filming is delayed in the Vancouver, BC area?
Brian Bird, co-creator of When Calls the Heart, went on Twitter to explain the situation to fans by saying, “The show must go on.” Apparently, they have a plan in place to ensure season 11 starts filming as scheduled.
https://twitter.com/brbird/status/1680344882056167424?s=20
According to WCTH co-creator Brian Bird, “The show must go on.” He went to Twitter to share a long missive explaining to Hearties that they will start filming as scheduled.
How will this work?
In his lengthy tweet, Bird explained that while they honor both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, they will have plans to keep “the streets of Hope Valley very busy in the weeks and months ahead.” This is due to an extraordinary contingency plan in place for the Vancouver production team.
The When Calls the Heart co-creator explained that all their “fine Canadian writers and cast and crew members” will be back at work, while they “wait for peaceful resolution of these labor talks.” This means that scenes will be filmed with the Canadian cast, who are not affected by the strike.
What about when the strike ends?
When both strikes are officially over, the American actors and writers will head to the When Calls the Heart set in Canada. At that stage, they will film their scenes, and according to Bird Hearties won’t be able to see the difference. In fact, when fans get to watch season 11 in 2024, with the seamless magic of the filmmaking and storytelling process, it will seem like they were there all along. While Brian didn’t mention names, the three major American cast members are Erin Krakow, Ben Rosenbaum and Jack Wagner.
Meanwhile, the WCTH co-creator asked fans to pray for the American writers and cast members, writing, “Please pray for our American writers and cast members in the days ahead and the studios and big companies that hold their futures in their hands.”
Bird added even more support for the striking workers, writing, “But if you do a little homework on the issues involved in these labor talks, you will realize why some of these hard decisions had to be made.”
Moreover, he went on to remind viewers that the series has weathered many storms in the past. These include Daniel Lissing’s shocking departure along with the College Admissions Scandal that led to Hallmark firing Lori Loughlin.
In the meantime, Hearties should be reassured that season 11 will happen as planned, no matter what. Of course, When Calls the Heart season 10 premieres shortly on Sunday, July 30, at 9 pm ET/PT on Hallmark Channel.