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Mark Ruffalo Urges California AG Not to Cave on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
Confirmed
In Short: Actor Mark Ruffalo is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to cave on a potential settlement deal over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
Actor Mark Ruffalo is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to cave on a potential settlement deal over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
On Saturday, Ruffalo took to X to call on Bonta to reject the deal, warning that thousands of industry leaders and more than 75,000 people have spoken out against the merger.
Ruffalo wrote, 'Don’t you dare @AGRobBonta, do not cave. 5670 filmmakers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger. Another 75,000+ and counting have signed to tell you not to concede in just 3 weeks.
Ruffalo’s pressure comes as attorneys general meet with Paramount over the deal, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the two sides are in 'advanced talks' to settle the lawsuit.
Ruffalo has been vocal about his opposition to the merger, testifying against it in a Senate hearing and signing an open letter alongside many actors.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts echoed Ruffalo’s concerns, writing on Facebook that it would be a 'massive mistake' to cave on the merger, especially given President Donald Trump’s recent ban on CNN from the White House.
Ruffalo’s posts direct followers to a petition on the No Paramount Concessions website, urging the AGs to 'hold the line' and block the merger.
As the talks continue, Ruffalo and other industry leaders are stepping up their efforts to sway public and political opinion against the deal.
What this adds
Ruffalo’s comments have sparked a debate, with some industry figures supporting him and others criticizing his stance.
The petition Ruffalo is promoting aims to gather support from the public to pressure the AGs to reject the deal.
What's confirmed
- Actor Mark Ruffalo is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to cave on a potential settlement deal over the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
- On Saturday, Ruffalo took to X to call on Bonta to reject the deal, warning that thousands of industry leaders and more than 75,000 people have spoken out against the merger.
- Ruffalo wrote, 'Don’t you dare @AGRobBonta, do not cave. 5670 filmmakers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger. Another 75,000+ and counting have signed to tell you not to concede in just 3 weeks.
- Ruffalo’s pressure comes as attorneys general meet with Paramount over the deal, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that the two sides are in 'advanced talks' to settle the lawsuit.
- Ruffalo has been vocal about his opposition to the merger, testifying against it in a Senate hearing and signing an open letter alongside many actors.
- Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts echoed Ruffalo’s concerns, writing on Facebook that it would be a 'massive mistake' to cave on the merger, especially given President Donald Trump’s recent ban on CNN from the White House.
- Ruffalo’s posts direct followers to a petition on the No Paramount Concessions website, urging the AGs to 'hold the line' and block the merger.
- As the talks continue, Ruffalo and other industry leaders are stepping up their efforts to sway public and political opinion against the deal.
What's still developing
- On Saturday, the 4x Oscar nominee called on Rob Bonta to “reject the deal” that he and other AGs are currently negotiating with the Ellison-run Paramount ahead of a scheduled March 2, 2027 federal antitrust trial.
- “Thousands of industry leaders took a risk when they spoke out publicly about the harm the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would cause,” they said, claiming that more than 75,000 people have joined them to tell the state AGs to stand strong, including national leaders like Elizabeth Warren.
- You work for the people — the very people who will be hurt if you let this… To my friends in the Bay Area: I'm hearing Rob Bonta is about to cave and hand Warner Bros over to the Ellisons.
- Can you show up outside his AG office in Oakland tomorrow at 5pm to reject this backroom deal?
- The people don’t want it!… Block the Merger, with support from Ruffalo, Bryan Cranston, Hannah Einbinder, Jane Fonda, Noah Wyle, Denis Villeneuve, Sofia Coppola and more, previously released a statement on the settlement talks.
- “AG Bonta and his fellow state AGs should reject this deal, stand strong, and fully block the merger with no concessions.” As leaks of talks between the AGs, led by California’s politically ambitious Bonta, and Paramount flooded the media late Friday, AG Bonta’s office did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment.
- Ruffalo included a link to sign a petition in support of the merger being blocked.
- The Task star has been very candid about his opposition to the merger; he testified against the merger to a Senate hearing and signed an open letter alongside many actors also against Paramount’s potential takeover of Warner Bros. In an August Instagram post, he noted Oracle’s (founded by Larry Ellison, the father to David Ellison) ties to the Israeli military, sharing a clip of former Oracle chief Safra Catz talking about Oracle’s tech at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024 as it related to Israel’s war effort in Gaza.
- “There is no debate here: This merger will snuff out competition, drive up prices, diminish content quality, and produce fewer movies and shows each year,” said California Attorney General Bonta at a press conference at the time.
- Ruffalo detailed the war as a “genocide” that “was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle.” A spokesperson for Paramount shared a statement in response to Ruffalo, calling his remarks “antisemitic.” “We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the statement read in part.
- One day later, Paramount agreed to hold off on the acquisition until the court makes a decision of whether or not the deal violates antitrust laws.
- “Do not cave,” Ruffalo wrote, tagging Bonta in a message posted to social media.