Over 1,400 actors, directors and film industry figures have signed an open letter urging regulators to stop the £82.2 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.
Celebrities such as Emma Thompson, Ben Stiller, Javier Bardem, and Rose Byrne argue the deal would worsen challenges in a U.S. entertainment sector still recovering from the Covid pandemic and 2023 labour strikes.
“This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries and the audiences we serve can least afford it,” they said.
Paramount countered by emphasising its commitment to talent and ensuring creators have more avenues for their work, not fewer.
The sector has struggled since lockdowns slashed box office revenues by 70 per cent. The SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes then paralysed productions for 118 days, inflicting $5 billion in economic damage. Streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon have only heightened the pressure on traditional studios.
Signatories warn the merger would shrink major U.S. studios to four, triggering job cuts like Warner Bros Discovery’s 4,000 redundancies since 2022 and limiting opportunities for filmmakers and viewers worldwide.
Kristen Stewart, Kristin Scott Thomas and Glenn Close have added their unequivocal opposition, with more professionals joining daily, sources tell the BBC.
“The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world,” the letter states.
It appeals directly to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, citing precedents such as the blocked T-Mobile-Sprint merger.
Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Watchmen and Lost with ties to Warner Bros Discovery, amplified concerns on social media. “Hollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows and that means fewer jobs,” he wrote. “When two storied backlots are owned by the same company, the outcome is intuitive. One becomes a Ghost Town. I’m scared. But I’m not a ghost. And a fight is already lost if it’s never fought.”
Skydance chief David Ellison sealed the deal in late February after Netflix pulled out. He promises independent studios and 30 annual theatrical releases.
“As creators we know firsthand that this is also a moment when the industry has been facing significant disruption and the need for strong, creative-first and well-capitalised companies that can continue to invest in storytelling has never been greater,” Paramount Skydance responded.