Ben Stiller says getting film and television made from original IP and diverse storytellers has already been a tough battle in Hollywood, but the Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger will just make matters worse.
“There are already very few buyers out there. Original ideas and non legacy IP is extremely hard to get made by a major studio or network,” Stiller shared in an X post on Thursday. “The winnowing down of choices results in less opportunity for new voices and diverse viewpoints in what we all are given the opportunity to see. It’s already been challenging for years, and the merger will only make this worse.”
At the time, Stiller was replying to remarks his fellow actor Mark Ruffalo made about the challenges his series “I Know This Much Is True” faced during the pitching phase.
“HBO was the only streamer willing to make ‘I Know This Much Is True.’ Very difficult material,” Ruffalo said, who just so happened to be replying to a video Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted about the WBD-Paramount merger. “We won an Emmy and a Golden globe for it. Knocking out even one streaming service, or combining even two, would have made ‘I Know This Much Is True’ impossible to get made.”
On Thursday, WBD shareholders approved the $110 billion deal for the studio to merge with Paramount.
“Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership,” CEO David Zaslav noted. “Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders. We will continue to work with Paramount to complete the remaining steps in this process that will create a leading, next-generation media and entertainment company.”
Despite the approval of the deal, shareholders voted to reject Zaslav’s $887 million golden parachute tied to the merger, though that vote is non-binding.
In a joint statement on Thursday, a group of advocacy organizations led by the Future Film Coalition said the shareholder vote shows “cracks in the armor” as momentum from outside players to block the merger grows.
“A-list stars, professionals from every corner of the film and entertainment industry, elected officials and concerned citizens have made their voices heard: the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger must be stopped,” the joint statement read. “And it can be.”
The open letter, which has over 4,200 signatures, calls on state attorneys general and other Washington decision-makers to block the merger.
