Over 1,000 Creatives Including JJ Abrams and Kristen Stewart Oppose Media Consolidation
LOS ANGELES — More than 1,000 film and television creatives, including A-list actors and visionary directors, have signed an open letter published Monday, April 13, 2026, demanding that regulators block the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
The letter, first reported by The New York Times and circulated by the advocacy group “Block the Merger,” marks a significant escalation in industry resistance to media consolidation. Signatories include high-profile directors such as JJ Abrams, Denis Villeneuve, and David Fincher, alongside actors Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Stewart, Ben Stiller, and Don Cheadle.
A Fight for “Cinema’s Survival”
The collective argues that the fusion of two legacy studios—which would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four—threatens the very infrastructure of the entertainment industry.
“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,” the letter states. “The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.”
The letter highlights the “disappearance of the mid-budget film” and the “weakening of screen credit integrity” as direct consequences of past mergers. It specifically calls on California Attorney General Rob Bonta and federal regulators to scrutinize the deal, which followed a failed hostile takeover bid by Netflix earlier this year.
Corporate Defense and Industry Fear
Paramount responded to the letter on Monday, claiming the merger “strengthens both consumer choice and competition” by creating a more stable platform for creators to reach global audiences. David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, has pledged to keep the two backlots as stand-alone operations, promising to release a combined 30 theatrical films annually.
However, the creative community remains skeptical. Damon Lindelof, creator of Watchmen, took to Instagram to explain his decision to sign despite his existing overall deal with WBD. “Hollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows and that means fewer jobs,” Lindelof wrote. “When two storied backlots are owned by the same company, the outcome is intuitive—one becomes a ghost town.”
The deal currently awaits a shareholder vote and intense regulatory clearances, with a target closing date in late 2026.
