Over 1,000 Hollywood Creatives Sign Open Letter Opposing Paramount and Warner Bros. Merger

Summary

• Over 1,000 Hollywood professionals signed an open letter unequivocally opposing the $111 billion USD merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery
• The collective argues the deal will eliminate vital jobs, reduce creative opportunities, and shrink the number of major U.S. film studios to just four
• The statement aims to galvanize opponents ahead of strict regulatory reviews and impending shareholder votes

Over 1,000 filmmakers, actors, and industry professionals have issued an open letter formally opposing the impending merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. Originally reported by Variety, the coalition—which includes marquee names like Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Stewart, Ben Stiller, Denis Villeneuve, and Jane Fonda—published the collective statement via BlocktheMerger.com. The letter warns of deep concerns regarding aggressive market consolidation, noting that such a transaction would critically reduce competition and negatively impact the broader creative ecosystem.

The open letter emphasizes the grim reality of Hollywood’s ongoing contraction following recent mega-mergers. Signatories argue that combining two of the industry’s most storied backlots will inevitably lead to fewer opportunities for creators, higher costs for global audiences, and extensive job losses among essential blue-collar production workers. “Media consolidation has accelerated the disappearance of the mid-budget film… and the weakening of screen credit integrity,” the letter states, highlighting that the merger would leave only four major film studios operating in the United States.

Damon Lindelof, one of the featured signatories who currently holds an overall deal with Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO, voiced his perspective on social media, writing that such corporate mergers inherently create “ghost towns” on once-bustling studio lots. Paramount has formally pushed back against these claims in an official response, assuring that the union of the two media giants will allow them to greenlight more projects, back bold ideas, and maintain an output of at least 30 theatrical features annually. Despite these assurances, the $111 billion deal continues to face fierce skepticism as it awaits regulatory scrutiny and a shareholder vote later this spring.