Paramount Slams Actor Mark Ruffalo for Invoking Anti-Semitic Tropes Over Warner Bros. Merger Discovery. Ruffalo fired back, calling the accusations appalling and fundamentally dishonest.
Actor Mark Ruffalo has blasted the outcome of the long-running Warner Bros. acquisition fight. Discovery by Paramount for $110 billion, after a federal judge on Wednesday allowed the Hollywood mega-deal to move forward.
Ruffalo, who had been one of Hollywood’s most vocal opponents of the merger, called the outcome “incredibly disappointing.”
“This merger will stifle creativity, weaken free speech, and cost people their jobs – it’s a bad deal for this country and should never have been approved,” Ruffalo wrote in an article on X.
“This is an incredibly disappointing result for the hundreds of thousands of us who stood up to block it, but it’s also not the end,” he continued. “This grassroots movement is not going to disappear, and neither is our determination. It was never about a simple merger: it was about fighting against corrupt billionaire oligarchs who trampled on the interests of ordinary people to line their own pockets.”
PARAMOUNT Reaches Settlement with States Sue to Block Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover
Mark Ruffalo argued that the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger Discovery would “stifle creativity, weaken free speech and cost people their jobs” after a federal judge allowed the deal to move forward. (Karwai Tang/WireImage / Unknown)
“We are still in this fight,” he added. “Join us.”
A federal judge issued an order Wednesday allowing Paramount to complete its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, paving the way for the historic Hollywood merger.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín called the agreement a “reasonable factual and legal resolution” while rejecting objections to broader restrictions.
The order came after Paramount and a California-led coalition of 12 state attorneys general, who had sued to block the acquisition, reached a settlement.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the coalition, previously said the combined company had made an “enforceable commitment to significantly increase domestic production.”
MARK RUFFALO URGES CALIFORNIA AG ROB BONTA NOT TO “GIVE IN” IN FIGHT AGAINST PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS MERGER
The Paramount Studios sign in Los Angeles, California on April 23, 2026. (Noé Suave/Getty Images)
Under the terms of the deal, the company committed to releasing at least 30 films per year in each of the first two years, followed by 32 films per year for the next three years. At least four films each year must be independent releases.
Paramount also agreed to spend at least $1.5 billion more on U.S. film production over five years than its 2025 spending levels, according to Bonta’s office.
Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are expected to finalize the deal on October 6, according to Reuters.
Just days before the settlement was announced, Ruffalo publicly pressured Bonta not to settle.
“Don’t you dare @AGRobBonta, don’t give in,” Ruffalo posted on X.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit to block the Warner Bros. acquisition. Discovery by Paramount before reaching a settlement with the company. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In July, the States sued to block the deal, arguing it would reduce competition and give the combined company excessive market power in movie distribution and basic cable programming. The settlement announced Sept. 21 resolved those claims, according to Bonta’s office.
Brian Flood of FOX Business and Reuters contributed to this report.
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