Over 1,000 professionals, luminaries, and stars across the film and television industry on Monday morning released an open letter declaring their opposition to the pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The signatories include over 75 Academy Award winners and nominees, plus other actors, filmmakers, documentarians, writers, and more, including such big names as David Fincher, Kristen Stewart, Yorgos Lanthimos, Denis Villeneuve, JJ Abrams, Lily Gladstone, Boots Riley, Daniel Kwan, Rose Byrne, and Mark Ruffalo (you can see the full list of signers right here).
You can see the full letter below, but it essentially calls out the massive economic, creative, and even societal damage the merger would cause, particularly in considering the impact past mergers have had on the industry. “Media consolidation has accelerated the disappearance of the mid-budget film, the erosion of independent distribution, the collapse of the international sales market, the elimination of meaningful profit participation, and the weakening of screen credit integrity,” the letter reads.
“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 reads. “The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised. Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy. So is thoughtful regulation and enforcement.”
“A Warner Bros. Discovery–Paramount merger would be one of the most destructive threats to free speech and creative expression in our history,” said Jane Fonda, founder of the modern Committee for the First Amendment, in an official statement. “This deal would place unprecedented power in the hands of a single corporation that already appears to have proven itself willing to sacrifice integrity for political favor. The Committee refuses to stand by, as big media corporations serve their own interests at the expense of industry workers and American consumers. We will use every tool available to block this merger.”
Added Michele Mulroney, President of the Writers Guild of America West, in her own statement, “It’s simple — a combined Warner Brothers and Paramount would be disastrous for this industry. The resulting media behemoth would have tremendous leverage to reduce the diversity and volume of programming and raise prices for consumers, while suppressing writer compensation and worsening working conditions across the industry. This merger must be blocked.”
The letter also declares support for action by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, fellow state attorneys general, and others to investigate and block this transaction.
The letter hails from a wide coalition of groups that oppose the merger, including the Democracy Defenders Fund, the Committee for the First Amendment, Future Film Coalition, and the Writers Guild of America, as well as Free Press, the International Documentary Association, the American Economic Liberties Project, Platkin LLP, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and the Center for American Progress.
As of this writing, the letter will remain open for additional signatories from across the industry. Signatories and the public are also encouraged to sign the #BlocktheMerger petition and share personal stories of how the merger would impact their lives and livelihoods.
You can read the full open letter below:
“As filmmakers, documentarians, writers, and professionals across the movie and television industry, we write to express our unequivocal opposition to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
“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 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.
“Our industry is already under severe strain, in large part due to prior waves of consolidation. We have witnessed a steep decline in the number of films produced and released, alongside a narrowing of the kinds of stories that are financed and distributed. Increasingly, 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.
“Media consolidation has accelerated the disappearance of the mid-budget film, the erosion of independent distribution, the collapse of the international sales market, the elimination of meaningful profit participation, and the weakening of screen credit integrity.
“Together, these factors threaten the sustainability of the entire creative community. That includes endangering the professional lives of the tens of thousands of workers who help make up that community in predominantly small businesses and independent companies embedded in local economies and communities nationwide.
“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 integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.
“Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy. So is thoughtful regulation and enforcement. Media consolidation has already weakened one of America’s most vital global industries—one that has long shaped culture and connected people around the world.
“Fortunately, someone is doing something about all this. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and his colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it. We are grateful for their leadership, and stand ready to support all efforts to preserve competition, protect jobs, and ensure a vibrant future for our industry, for American culture, and for our single most significant cultural export.”
