Hollywood icons oppose Paramount-Warner Bros. merger in open letter

JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, David Fincher, and Denis Villeneuve are just a few of the prominent figures who have endorsed an open letter opposing Paramount's proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. 

They argue that this deal poses a threat to the stability of the entire creative sector.

"We are profoundly worried by the support for this merger, which seems to favor a small circle of influential stakeholders over the wider public interest," they expressed in the open letter. "The core integrity, independence, and variety of our industry would be severely jeopardised.”

Other notable signatories include Adam McKay, Ben Stiller, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Keener, David Chase, Emma Thompson, Don Cheadle, James Schamus, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Noah Wyle, Tiffany Haddish, Mark Duplass, Joaquin Phoenix, and Lily Gladstone.

Over 1,000 actors, creators, and other industry experts have joined in signing the letter, which was organised by groups like the Committee for the First Amendment, the Future Film Coalition, the Writers Guild of America, and the Democracy Defenders Fund.

A representative for Paramount did not promptly provide a comment. Paramount CEO David Ellison has maintained that the merger would benefit the industry by enhancing feature film production.

In the letter, they emphasised, “A competitive market is vital for a prosperous economy and a vibrant democracy. Equally important is effective regulation and enforcement. Media mergers have already weakened a major American global industry—one that has historically influenced culture and brought people together worldwide.”

The group also commended California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other state attorneys general for their investigation into the merger. The initial report about this letter came from The New York Times.