Mark Ruffalo encouraged California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a coalition of 11 other state attorneys general not to settle a lawsuit against Paramount Skydance and block David Ellison’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Don’t you dare, [Rob Bonta]don’t give in,” Ruffalo wrote on the X. “5,670 filmmakers are risking their lives to fight this merger for you. Over 75,000 more have signed and asked you not to throw in the towel in just 3 weeks. You work for the people – the same people who will be hurt if you let this bad deal full of empty promises continue. Please sign to send a message to AG and Paramount. Say no to this deal. People don’t want it!”
Ruffalo is one of Hollywood’s most outspoken opponents of the merger. He recently found himself at odds with Paramount, with a studio representative calling him an “anti-Semitic” for pointing out the Ellison family’s ties to Israel.
Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. was approved by the Justice Department in June. However, the deal was put on hold as Bonta and his team of state attorneys general filed an antitrust lawsuit. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources, that Paramount Skydance and Bonta were in “intensive talks” to reach a settlement.
Ruffalo wasn’t the only one asking Bonta to stand his ground. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote on Facebook Saturday morning that President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN from the White House was a warning of the consequences of Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. (Trump also banned MSNOW and Politico).
“It would be a huge mistake to back down on the Paramount merger when Trump is trying to ban CNN from the White House,” Warren wrote. “The last thing we need is another Trump-controlled media conglomerate abusing its power to stifle competition. This is a dangerous merger.”