The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has filed lawsuits against the proposed acquisition of the Hollywood studio Warner Bros Discovery by Paramount Skydance, arguing that the merger would violate antitrust laws and harm the profession.
Adding another hurdle to the merger between the two groups, on the heels of another suit filed by California and eleven U.S. states to oppose it.
Despite the approval of the U.S. Department of Justice, a portion of Hollywood still hopes to backtrack.
Many fear that this $110 billion merger could lead to massive job cuts in an industry that has already experienced several waves of mergers and layoffs.
If the operation goes through, the Ellison family, owners of the Paramount Skydance conglomerate and close to Donald Trump, would control two news channels, CBS News and CNN, two major film studios, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros, as well as two streaming platforms, Paramount+ and HBO Max.
The new giant would become « the largest buyer of original film and television programming in the United States, » which « threatens the economic and creative health of the American entertainment industry, » notes the WGA in its complaint.
Paramount, which waged an auction war against Netflix to acquire Warner Bros, argues that the operation will create a strong rival to compete with Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.
To persuade, the conglomerate has pledged to release at least thirty films annually that will remain in theaters for at least 45 days.
Beyond the ongoing proceedings in the United States, the suspense surrounding its Warner acquisition persists in the European Union and the United Kingdom, where regulators have not yet given their green light.
