Hollywood open letter opposing Warner Bros and Paramount merger doubles number of signatories

Hollywood’s biggest stars and filmmakers have continued to add their names to a bold open letter calling for the pending mega merger between Warner Bros and Paramount to be blocked.

The missive was originally made public yesterday with 1000 industry workers’ names attached and in the time since, another almost 1500 people have added their digital signatures to the cause.

Among the 2455 people staking their position are heavy-hitting actors Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Emma Thompson, Bryan Cranston, Ben Stiller, Glenn Close, Kristen Stewart, Don Cheadle, Noah Wyle, Ted Danson, Javier Bardem and Jason Bateman.

Filmmaker signatories include directors Taika Waititi, Adam McKay, Denis Villeneuve, David Fincher, JJ Abrams, Celine Song and Yorgos Lanthimos, and writers David Chase, Eric Roth, Damon Lindelof and Tony Kushner.

It’s notable that many of the high-profile names on the list have either worked with or continues to work with Warner Bros, such as Villeneuve, whose third Dune film will be released by WB in December, and Wyle, whose hit streaming series The Pitt streams on HBO Max.

The $US110 billion merger – or more accurately, takeover of Warner by Paramount – is a controversial talking point in an industry that has suffered through years of consolidation and contraction.

The Block the Merger open letter which stated its “unequivocal opposition” to the merger was organised by the Future Film Coalition which has backing by scores of organisations including Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment.

The letter said, in part, “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.”

It cited existing consolidation as already responsible for a decline in the mid-budget film, a decline in independent distribution, as well as detrimental effects on the international sales market, profit participation and screen credit integrity, and that the Warner Bros and Paramount merger will further exacerbate these trends.

“We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritise the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good,” the letter continued.

“The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.”

Paramount, which was last year acquired by David Ellison, the son of tech billionaire and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, aggressively sought to buy Warner Bros, initially through unsolicited approaches and then through an open bidding process.

Netflix initially won the deal but Paramount’s continued push eventually saw it prevail with a more competitive offer. Netflix said it didn’t see the value of going higher and walked away, pocketing a $US2.8 billion break-up fee for its troubles.

While both potential buyers were profitable, Paramount has the added baggage of its political connections. The Ellisons are seen to be very close to the Trump administration, something Paramount signalled would allow it to grease the deal through government approval processes.

Given the US federal government is unlikely to stand in the way, the Block the Merger group has called on state attorneys-general to use their power to challenge the acquisition on the grounds of consumer protection, anti-trust and civil rights.

California attorney-general Rob Bonta said in February that the state was already investigating the deal.

The merger could also face potential opposition from European regulators.

Signatory Damon Lindelof, who has an overall deal with Warner Bros and is a co-creator of the upcoming HBO series Lanterns, wrote on social media, “It’s thousands and thousands of grips and gaffers, drivers and decorators, builders and boom operators, camera teams and caterers.

“And they’re all about to get f..ked. Hollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows and that means fewer jobs. When storied backlots are owned by the same company, the outcome is intuitive – one becomes a ghost town.

“I’m scared, but I’m not a ghost, and a fight is already lost if it’s never fought. So I signed. Proudly. I understand why many of my peers have not – trust me, I’m more of a puker than a stormer. But these boats are heading for the beach whether we like it or not.”

Mike Schur, who created the likes of Parks and Recreation, The Good Place and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, had very choice words about Warner Bros boss David Zaslav, who stands to personally earn almost a billion dollars from the sale.

Schur, who also signed the open letter, last week on social media called Zaslav, “Just an absolute vacuum cleaner, sucking cash out of the company while leaving its creative teams and executives begging for scraps. Zero added value to one of the greatest brands in Hollywood history.”

Paramount said in a statement in response to the open letter that it was committed to talent, and that the merger would strengthen consumer choice and competition.