Hollywood stars oppose Paramount Warner Bros. deal

More than 1,000 writers, actors and directors released a letter Monday opposing Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the deal would harm Hollywood’s already distressed entertainment industry.

The letter, which was signed by well-known performers and directors including Bryan Cranston, Joaquin Phoenix, Tiffany Haddish, Lily Gladstone and Yorgos Lanthimos, warns that merging two of Hollywood’s major studios will result in “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.”

“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,” said the letter, which was also signed Denis Villeneuve, who directed “Sicario,” and J.J. Abrams, director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” “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.”

A Paramount spokesperson said in a statement that the company understood the concerns that “some in the creative community have raised,” adding that the deal with Warner Bros. will preserve “iconic brands with independent creative leadership — ensuring creators have more avenues for their work, not fewer.”

The letter comes months after Paramount and its CEO, David Ellison, prevailed against Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $111 billion. Ellison has said that the deal will be good for the creative community, pledging to release at least 30 movies in theaters annually and invest in both studios. He has also argued that a deal with Netflix would have created a subscription streaming behemoth twice the size of its nearest competitor.

The letter was organized by a coalition of advocacy groups, including the Committee for the First Amendment, the free speech group led by actor Jane Fonda; Democracy Defenders Fund, an organization cofounded by Norm Eisen, an ambassador in the Obama administration; and the Future Film Coalition, a group of independent film professionals.

Paramount’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to close later this year pending approval from shareholders and government regulators. The company has said it does not expect any significant impediments to closing in the United States and that some countries like Germany and Slovenia have already given their approval to proceed.

But concerns about the deal loom over Hollywood. Michael O’Leary, CEO of Cinema United, a trade organization that represents 30,000 movie screens in the United States, said in an interview that he was opposed to the acquisition, warning that any decrease in film production could result in more theater closings.

Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, said the acquisition was “not a done deal,” but he expressed skepticism that the federal government would conduct a rigorous review.

In the letter, the signatories urged Bonta to continue scrutinizing the deal, saying they were prepared to support efforts to “ensure a vibrant future for our industry.”

“Competition is essential for a healthy economy and a healthy democracy,” the letter said. “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.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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