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More than a thousand movie stars, writers, directors and other Hollywood professionals announced their \u201cunequivocal opposition\u201d to the proposed Paramount merger with Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a> in an open letter<\/a> published Monday.<\/p>\n A large swath of the movie industry, including Denis Villeneuve, Kristen Stewart, J.J. Abrams and Joaquin Phoenix came out forcefully against the $111 billion deal<\/a> that would consolidate two legacy studios into one, arguing that it further reduce jobs and movies in an already downsized Hollywood.<\/p>\n \u201cThe result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world,\u201d reads the letter, posted on BlocktheMerger.com. \u201cAlarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.\u201d<\/p>\n In late February, David Ellison\u2019s Paramount Skydance reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in one of the largest media mergers ever. The deal awaits a shareholder vote later this month and government regulatory approval. Paramount\u2019s victory came after months of negotiations and a rival bid by Netflix that ultimately fell short.<\/a><\/p>\n The deal was only the latest massive merger to rock Hollywood. In 2019, 20th Century Fox was acquired<\/a> by The Walt Disney Co. for $71.3 billion.<\/p>\n Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, has pledged to keep Paramount and Warner Bros. as stand-alone movie studio operations, and vowed to release a combined 30 movies a year in theaters. Paramount has acknowledged the merger will also lead to significant cuts due to duplication.<\/p>\n In response to the open letter, Paramount issued a statement Monday arguing that the merger will give creators \u201cmore avenues for their work, not fewer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis transaction uniquely brings together complementary strengths to create a company that can greenlight more projects, back bold ideas, support talent across multiple stages of their careers, and bring stories to audiences at a truly global scale,\u201d the studio said.<\/p>\n But many in the film industry believe a merger will mean extensive job losses and a consolidation of power.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good,\u201d read the letter. \u201cThe integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n A coalition of advocacy groups organized the letter, including the Committee for the First Amendment \u2014 a free speech group led by Jane Fonda<\/a> \u2014 as well as the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Future Film Coalition. Other signatories include: Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Javier Bardem, Lily Gladstone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tiffany Haddish and Ted Danson.<\/p>\n On Monday, one signee, Damon Lindelof, detailed his decision on Instagram. Lindelof, the creator of \u201cWatchmen\u201d and the co-creator of \u201cLost,\u201d has an overall deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.<\/p>\n \u201cHollywood mergers mean fewer movies and fewer TV shows and that means fewer jobs,\u201d wrote Lindelof. \u201cWhen two storied backlots are owned by the same company, the outcome is intuitive \u2014 one becomes a Ghost Town. I\u2019m scared. But I\u2019m not a ghost. And a fight is already lost if it\u2019s never fought.\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for Warner Bros. didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.<\/p>\n Download the <\/b><\/i>FREE WPXI News app<\/b><\/i><\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on <\/b>Facebook<\/b><\/a> and <\/b>Twitter<\/b><\/a>. | <\/b>Watch WPXI NOW<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n