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Actor Mark Ruffalo has urged California Attorney General Rob Bonta not to settle the antitrust lawsuit challenging Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, after reports emerged that the two sides are nearing a deal.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 18 that Paramount and California's attorney general are in advanced talks to resolve the lawsuit, which attorneys general from 12 states filed in July.
Ruffalo responded on social media platform X, addressing Bonta directly. "Don't you dare @AGRobBonta, do not cave.
5,670 filmmakers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger," he wrote. "Another 75,000+ and counting have signed to tell you not to concede in just 3 weeks."
The actor linked to a petition calling on the attorney general and Paramount to abandon the settlement. "Please sign to send a message to the AG's and Paramount. Reject the deal. The people don't want it," he added.
Ruffalo has publicly opposed the merger for months. He testified against the deal at a Senate hearing and signed an open letter alongside other actors objecting to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
In August, Ruffalo posted on Instagram about Oracle's ties to the Israeli military, sharing a clip of former Oracle chief executive Safra Catz addressing the Israeli-American Council National Summit in 2024. Oracle was founded by Larry Ellison, whose son David Ellison leads Paramount.
In the clip, Catz discussed technologies the company developed. Ruffalo described the situation in Gaza as a "genocide" built on what he called an "apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle."
A Paramount spokesperson responded to Ruffalo's comments, calling them "antisemitic." "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."
Ruffalo rejected the characterization on X. "The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest," he wrote.
The 12 states filed their lawsuit on July 13, arguing the merger would combine two of Hollywood's top five studios and lead to higher prices, fewer films in theaters, and reduced content variety.
"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," Bonta said at a press conference announcing the suit.
The filing prompted a temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguin on July 20, which was extended on July 23.
Paramount subsequently agreed to hold off on completing the acquisition until the court rules on whether the deal violates antitrust law.
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