Opposition to Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is no longer limited to lawmakers and regulators. More than 1,000 actors, directors, writers, producers, and crew members have signed an open letter urging officials to stop the merger, arguing that it would further shrink an already contracting entertainment industry.
The letter, published on Monday, April 13, and circulated through BlocktheMerger.com, includes signatures from Don Cheadle, Pedro Pascal, John Leguizamo, Jane Fonda, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Nixon, Ted Danson, Tiffany Haddish, Rosie O’Donnell, and more than 1,000 others.
At the center of their argument is the belief that combining Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would leave Hollywood with only four major film studios and give even more power to a smaller group of companies.
“This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape,” the letter states. The signatories argue that the merger would result in “fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences.”
The group also tied the proposed deal to broader changes that have already reshaped Hollywood over the past decade. According to the letter, previous mergers have coincided with the decline of mid-budget films, the collapse of independent distribution, and fewer paths for creators to bring projects to market.
The latest public pushback comes as Paramount, led by David Ellison, moves closer to completing its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount outlasted Netflix in a bidding war earlier this year after raising its offer to $31 per share. Netflix ultimately declined to match the price and exited the process, collecting a $2.8 billion breakup fee.
Since then, scrutiny of the deal has shifted away from the bidding battle itself and toward its broader impact. Democratic senators have urged the FCC to examine the foreign investors backing Paramount’s bid, which includes billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
The open letter points directly to those investigations. “We are grateful for their leadership,” the signatories wrote of Bonta and other officials, adding that they support efforts “to preserve competition, protect jobs, and ensure a vibrant future for our industry.”
Among the most detailed responses came from Damon Lindelof, creator of Watchmen and a current HBO producer under Warner Bros. Discovery. In an Instagram post, Lindelof said he has a positive impression of Ellison personally, but signed the letter because of what the merger could mean for below-the-line workers.
“It’s thousands and thousands of grips and gaffers. Drivers and decorators. Builders and boom operators,” Lindelof wrote. “Hollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows, and that means fewer jobs.”
