Hollywood insiders say jobs will be lost, consumer prices will rise, and diversity will be “grievously compromised” if a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery moves forward.
Over 1,042 actors, producers, directors, technical set workers, and acting coaches signed an open letter saying the merger would reduce the number of major U.S. movie studios to four and potentially kill competition.
The letter was released on Monday, April 13. Some of the familiar names that signed it include actors Don Cheadle, John Leguizamo, Jane Fonda, Yvette Nicole Brown, Glenn Close, Wilson Cruz, and Tiffany Haddish, as well as Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley and A Thousand and One filmmaker A.V. Rockwell.
“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,” the letter states.
It goes on to warn, “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 integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised,” the Hollywood insiders say.
The letter adds that the film and television industries are “under severe strain” after other recent mergers led to declines in the number of projects that are produced and released.
“A small number of powerful entities determine what gets made—and on what terms—leaving creators and independent businesses with fewer viable paths to sustain their work,” the letter says.
Paramount responded with a statement arguing the deal “brings together complementary strengths to create a company that can greenlight more projects.” The studio also pledged that a merged Paramount and Warner Bros. would release at least 30 films a year in theaters.
In 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, scrapped Fox projects that were in the pipeline, and began releasing fewer Fox films.
Skydance Media completed its $8 billion acquisition of Paramount in August 2025. Since then, there have been widespread layoffs at Paramount properties, including MTV, BET, CBS News and turmoil at 60 Minutes.
Last month, Paramount announced it was shutting down the BET+ streaming platform and folding its content into Paramount+ this June. The streaming combo is expected to lead to more job losses among the people running BET+.
The merged Paramount Skydance is owned by David Ellison, son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. The Ellison family members are allies of President Donald Trump, and the Trump administration is expected to approve the merger.
Some observers have complained that the MAGA-friendly Ellison family has canceled a number of Black-led shows since taking control of CBS, including Watson and The Neighborhood.
The $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is backed by Saudi investors, and some Senate Democrats have raised concerns that foreign investors could try to exert control over content and potentially influence Warner Bros.-owned CNN’s editorial direction.
In February, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement saying a Warner Bros. merger “does not serve our economy, consumers, or competition well.”
Netflix had also been in the running to buy Warner Bros., but dropped out.
Citing SEC filings, CNBC reported last month that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is in line to receive a potential payout of more than $800 million if the Paramount Skydance deal with WB goes through.
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