Mark Ruffalo Urges California’s Attorney General Not To Settle the Paramount Merger Lawsuit

Few corporate battles have pulled Hollywood into the political arena quite like the fight over Paramount Skydance’s planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. What began as a deal between studios has turned into a contest involving state attorneys general, unions, filmmakers and elected officials. The latest voice to join the debate is one of the industry’s best-known actors.

The proposed acquisition is valued at about $110 billion. The Department of Justice approved it in June, but the deal was put on hold when California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other state AGs filed an antitrust lawsuit. Bonta has said he is open to an out-of-court settlement, provided the company offers structural remedies such as divestments rather than behavioral ones like its pledge to release 30 films in theaters per year.

That openness has become a flashpoint. The Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous sources, reported on Friday that Paramount and Bonta were in advanced talks on a potential settlement. Reaction from the deal’s opponents was swift.

Variety reported that Mark Ruffalo is encouraging Bonta not to settle, in a post on X that has drawn 67.6K views, 1.5K likes and 272 reposts. Ruffalo told the attorney general not to cave, pointing to 5,670 filmmakers who put their necks on the line to fight the merger. He added that 75,000 more people had signed a petition in just 3 weeks, and that a deal filled with empty promises would hurt the very people Bonta works for.

Ruffalo directed followers to No Paramount Concessions, a group whose petition calls on the 12 suing states to block the merger. The group says it has collected more than 77,000 signatures. He also asked his Bay Area followers to gather outside Bonta’s Oakland office at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 20.

He is not alone in the push. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said on Facebook that it would be a massive mistake to cave. She warned that the merger could create another media conglomerate controlled by President Donald Trump, tying her comments to Trump’s move to ban CNN from the White House.

Ruffalo has been one of the loudest voices against the deal for some time. Variety noted that he recently had a public back-and-forth with a Paramount representative over his criticism of the Ellison family. The company has not agreed with his framing of the merger.

Supporters of the deal see things differently. The transaction cleared federal review in June, and Paramount has offered commitments, including its pledge to release 30 films in theaters each year. Bonta’s stated position is that those behavioral promises are not enough on their own.

That difference is central to the dispute. Critics like Ruffalo argue that a settlement would let Paramount avoid real scrutiny in court, according to coverage of his campaign. Bonta’s office, by contrast, has left room for an agreement if the outcome meets its demands.

The public conversation has not been one-sided either. In replies to Variety’s post, some users worried about how the merger would affect a town like Burbank and the people working behind the scenes. Others focused on the credibility of celebrity activism, which shows how divided opinion remains.

For now, nothing is final. No settlement has been announced, and it remains unclear whether the pressure campaign will change the attorney general’s strategy. The next few days could determine whether the case heads for a courtroom or a deal.

Whatever happens, the episode shows how much is at stake for the future of Hollywood’s biggest studios. It also shows how quickly a corporate merger can turn into a public cause.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!