Over 1,000 Hollywood Figures Sign Open Letter Opposing Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

Hollywood Professionals Oppose Media Merger Over 1,000 Hollywood boldface names released an open letter on Monday morning expressing unequivocal opposition to Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros.

Discovery. The open letter was released by a consortium of groups including Norm Eisen’s Democracy Defenders Fund and Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment. More than 1,034 people signed the open letter at the time of publication.

com. Signers of the open letter include actors Bryan Cranston, Glenn Close, Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Jason Bateman, and Ted Danson. Additional signers include Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Stewart, Adam McKay, Alan Cumming, Alyssa Milano, Boots Riley, Cynthia Nixon, Elliot Page, and Damon Lindelof.

Signers also include directors JJ Abrams, Denis Villeneuve, and Yorgos Lanthimos. The list of signers further includes producers Ted Hope and Mark Duplass, as well as multi-hyphenates Lin-Manuel Miranda and David Chase. David Fincher is among the signers as well.

Concerns Over Industry Consolidation The open letter states: '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.

' It states that the merger would 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. S. film studios to just four.

It states that the integrity, independence, and diversity of the industry would be grievously compromised. ' Damon Lindelof explained his reasoning for signing the letter in an Instagram post on Monday. Representatives for Paramount and Warner Bros.

Discovery did not immediately respond to request for comment on Monday.

Connections to Warner Bros.

Discovery JJ Abrams has an active deal with Warners through Bad Robot. Denis Villeneuve will release Dune 3 through Warners later this year. David Chase has a new project in the works at HBO. Jason Bateman is starring in the HBO series DTF St.

Louis. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and colleagues in other states are reportedly scrutinizing the merger and considering legal action to block it. The open letter calls for California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other regulators to block the deal.