The $111 billion deal that would see Paramount Skydance absorb Warner Bros. Discovery moved one step closer to reality Thursday after WBD shareholders overwhelmingly voted in favor of the merger.
However, this agreement has not yet crossed the finish line. New Hollywood stars, including Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola and Holly Hunter, have signed an open letter opposing the Paramount-WBD merger, citing the threat of job losses, higher costs for consumers and fewer TV shows and movies.
As of Thursday morning, the letter had a total of 4,194 signatories since 1,000 names were announced on April 13th. Organizers say the list of film and entertainment industry union members, actors and directors includes more than 75 Oscar winners and nominees. The group wants to maintain its opposition to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which still awaits regulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe and could be the subject of a lawsuit by state attorneys general seeking to block the merger.
The coalition that supported the open letter also organized a rally in front of WBD’s Manhattan headquarters at 9 a.m. ET ahead of the shareholder vote. Additionally, there will be a protest in Washington, D.C., on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET outside a private dinner hosted by Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to “honor” President Donald Trump and CBS News’ White House correspondent. Ellison’s event will be held at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Peace Institute.
“As a filmmaker, documentarian, and film and television industry professional, I am writing to express my clear opposition to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger,” the BlockTheMerger.com letter states in part. “This deal will further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape and reduce competition at a time when our industry, and the audiences we serve, cannot afford it. The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and fewer choices for audiences in the U.S. and around the world. Remarkably, this merger will reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.”
Other signatories to the letter include Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Edward Norton, Atsuko Okatsuka, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller, Kristen Stewart, Adam McKay, Alan Cumming, Alyssa Milano, Boots Riley, Bryan Cranston, Cynthia Nixon, Damon Lindelof, David Fincher, Denis Villeneuve, Elliot Page, Glenn Close, Jane Fonda, J.J. Abrams, Jason Bateman, John Leguizamo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Margaret Cho, Mark Ruffalo, Noah Wyle, Pathé LuPone, Ramy Youssef, Rosario Dawson, Rosie O’Donnell, Ted Danson, Tiffany Haddish, Tig Notaro, Yorgos Lanthimos, Yvette Nicole Brown.
Organizers of the BlockTheMerger.com open letter include the Writers Guild of America (WGA), Screen Future Coalition, Democracy Defense Fund, Jane Fonda’s First Amendment Commission, American Economic Freedom Project, Archive Producers Alliance, media advocacy group Free Press, International Documentary Association, Public Integrity Project, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Democratic senators, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are also rallying to block Paramount’s acquisition of WBD. “The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is far from over,” Warren said in a statement after Thursday’s shareholder vote. “State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster, and we need to continue this fight.”
RELATED: Mark Ruffalo slams Paramount-Warner Bros. merger at Senate hearing: ‘Don’t trust empty promises from billionaires’
