Mark Ruffalo is one of the prominent critics of the Paramount merger.
He landed in controversy after claiming links between Paramount and the Gaza genocide.
Ruffalo urged the California AG to discard the settlement that could enable the merger.
Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo exhorted California Attorney General Rob Bonta to scrap a potential settlement with Paramount Skydance that could pave the way for its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Reports emerged that Paramount Skydance and Bonta’s office have moved ahead in settlement discussions over the lawsuit filed by Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general.
Mark Ruffalo On Opposing The Paramount-Warner Bros Merger
“Don’t you dare, Rob Bonta, do not cave,” Ruffalo wrote on X. “5,670 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. You work for the people — the very people who will be hurt if you let this lousy deal filled with empty promises go forward. Please sign to send a message to the AGs and Paramount. Reject the deal. The people don’t want it!”
The Task star has been vocal about his opposition to the merger; he testified against the merger to a Senate hearing and signed an open letter alongside a spate of actors also against Paramount’s potential takeover of Warner Bros. Ruffalo warned of possible price spike, diminished number of projects and a drop in the variety and quality of movies. The actor landed in controversy after he shared a statement on social media on Friday in which he established the links between Paramount Skydance, run by CEO David Ellison, and Oracle, the technology company run by Ellison’s father, Larry. He drew ties to their culpability in the Gaza genocide.
A spokesperson for Paramount slammed his remarks as “antisemitic", adding, "We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute,” the statement read in part. “Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn’t deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don’t tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.” Ruffalo dismissed the accusation as baseless.
