A raft of Hollywood A-listers, including Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo and Robert De Niro, have pushed back against the impending Paramount and Warner Bros. merger.
Negotiations over the future of Warner Bros. Studios have been taking place in recent months, with Netflix at one point being perceived as the frontrunner. However, in February, the streaming company backed out of the bidding, leaving the way clear for Paramount Skydance to acquire the major studio.
This week, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the $111billion (£82million) takeover, which will see Paramount Skydance, backed by the tech billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David, take control of all Warner Bros. titles and channels, including Harry Potter, Game Of Thrones, HBO, CNN, the DC Universe and The Lord Of The Rings.
The deal now just needs approval from the US Department of Justice and from European competition regulators, although the former is assumed to be a formality, as Donald Trump is close with Larry Ellison.
Despite this, a slew of big-name Hollywood stars have signed an open letter opposing the merger, citing the danger to jobs and the likelihood that it will result in higher costs for consumers and a reduction in the number of projects getting a green light.
Over 4,000 people have signed the letter, including more than 75 Oscar winners and nominees. De Niro, Stiller, Ruffalo, Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Stewart, Bryan Cranston, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Jane Fonda and Lin-Manuel Miranda have all signed the letter.
Democratic politicians including Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have also rallied against the takeover, with Warren stating: “The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger isn’t a done deal. State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight.”
HBO was the only streamer willing to make “I Know This Much Is True”. Very difficult material. We won an Emmy and a Golden globe for it. Knocking out even one streaming service, or combining even two, would have made “I Know This Much Is True” impossible to get made. https://t.co/8TQ8VnCfyi
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) April 23, 2026
There are already very few buyers out there. Original ideas and non legacy IP is extremely hard to get made by a major studio or network. The winnowing down of choices results in less opportunity for new voices and diverse viewpoints in what we all are given the opportunity to… https://t.co/velnSxPdor
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 23, 2026
Ruffalo quoted a post on X from Warren to articulate his thoughts on the issue, writing: “HBO was the only streamer willing to make ‘I Know This Much Is True’. Very difficult material. We won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for it. Knocking out even one streaming service, or combining even two, would have made ‘I Know This Much Is True’ impossible to get made.”
Stiller replied to that post, adding that there are “already very few buyers out there”, and “the winnowing down of choices results in less opportunity for new voices and diverse viewpoints”. He concluded: “The merger will only make this worse.”