Top Hollywood stars are speaking out against the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal.
Over 1,000 Hollywood creatives published an open letter on Monday expressing “unequivocal opposition” to Paramount’s deal to buy WBD, which could close as soon as this fall if it gets regulatory approval.
The Paramount-WBD tie-up “would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape” and lead to “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 actors, directors, producers, and writers said in the letter.
Among the signatories were household names like Ben Stiller, JJ Abrams, and Lin-Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame.
Some of the biggest names working with WBD’s HBO also signed the letter, including “The Pitt” star and executive producer Noah Wyle, and “Task” lead actor Mark Ruffalo. David Chase, creator of HBO’s “The Sopranos,” also signed on, as did Adam McKay, who directed episodes of “Succession,” and “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon.
Denis Villeneuve, who directed WBD’s “Dune” movies, signed as well, as did high-profile actors like Don Cheadle from “House of Lies” on Paramount-owned Showtime, Ted Danson from HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Julianna Margulies from CBS’s “The Good Wife,” and Javier Bardem from “Dune” and WBD-distributed “F1.”
While some of Hollywood’s top talent are speaking out against the deal, many creatives may not be willing, or able, to refuse working for what would be a new entertainment giant.
A Paramount-WBD combination would have close to 200 million streaming subscribers, beloved franchises like Harry Potter and DC, and TV channels like CBS, CNN, TNT, TBS, and Nickelodeon.
Paramount has argued that it could compete more effectively if it joined forces with WBD. Netflix had 325 million subscribers at the end of 2025, while Disney no longer reports subscriber figures but had 196 million across Disney+ and Hulu as of late September.
David Ellison’s Paramount has promised investors at least $6 billion in cost savings from its WBD deal. Many in Hollywood fear that those cost cuts will lead to mass layoffs, though Paramount has downplayed the role of job losses in its plans. WBD’s own leadership warned before it signed the deal of a potential exodus of employees who feared layoffs.
Antitrust experts generally expect US regulators to approve the deal, though the acquisition also needs the green light from overseas regulators. Paramount could face legal challenges from state attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, who has promised to give the proposed deal a close look.
Read the list of full signatories to the “Block the Merger” letter.
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