NEW YORK — More than a thousand movie stars, writers, directors and other Hollywood professionals put their names on an open letter Monday, and the message was blunt: they’re unequivocally against the proposed Paramount merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
The signatories include Denis Villeneuve, Kristen Stewart, J.J. Abrams and Joaquin Phoenix, all coming out forcefully against the $111 billion deal that would consolidate two legacy studios into one. Their argument is basically that it would further reduce jobs and movies in an already downsized Hollywood. “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,” reads the letter, posted on BlocktheMerger.com. It also says the merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.
Late February is when David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in one of the largest media mergers ever—though it’s still stuck in the usual waiting room. The deal awaits a shareholder vote later this month and government regulatory approval. Paramount’s path wasn’t straightforward either; Misryoum newsroom reported that it came after months of negotiations and a rival bid by Netflix that ultimately fell short. That detail seems to matter to the opponents too, because it’s another reminder of how crowded and competitive the industry is right now, and how quickly deals can reshape everything.
Paramount, for its part, is pushing back hard. Paramount issued a statement Monday arguing that the merger will give creators “more avenues for their work, not fewer.” The studio said the transaction brings “complementary strengths to create a company that can greenlight more projects, back bold ideas, support talent across multiple stages of their careers, and bring stories to audiences at a truly global scale.”
Still, the letter reads like a counterpoint to that promise, warning that “many in the film industry believe a merger will mean extensive job losses and a consolidation of power.” “We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good,” the letter states. “The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.”
The coalition behind the letter includes advocacy groups organized the letter, among them the Committee for the First Amendment — a free speech group led by Jane Fonda — plus the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Future Film Coalition. Other signatories listed include Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Javier Bardem, Lily Gladstone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tiffany Haddish and Ted Danson.
And then there’s Damon Lindelof, who on Monday detailed his decision on Instagram. Misryoum newsroom noted Lindelof, the creator of “Watchmen” and the co-creator of “Lost,” has an overall deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. “Hollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows and that means fewer jobs,” he wrote. He added, “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.” One person in a production office I talked to earlier today—someone who was scrolling between emails—said it’s the kind of line that spreads fast, like when the coffee machine hisses and everyone glances over, not even sure why.
Representatives for Warner Bros. didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Also, Paramount has acknowledged the merger will lead to significant cuts due to duplication, and Ellison has pledged to keep Paramount and Warner Bros. as stand-alone movie studio operations, vowing to release a combined 30 movies a year in theaters. That contrast—stand-alone in name, cuts in reality—keeps landing on the same sore spot for the letter’s supporters… and maybe it’s exactly why they pushed so hard for the open letter in the first place, even if the end of this story is still waiting on votes, approvals, and whoever decides what “choice” means once studios consolidate.