Ben Stiller Warns Warner Bros.-Paramount Merger Threatens Original Content in Hollywood

Actor Ben Stiller has cautioned that the proposed $110 billion merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount will further limit the already scarce opportunities for original intellectual property (IP) and diverse storytellers in Hollywood.

“There are already very few buyers out there. Original ideas and non-legacy IP are extremely hard to get made by a major studio or network,” Stiller wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, April 23, 2026. “The winnowing down of choices results in less opportunity for new voices and diverse viewpoints in what we all are given the opportunity to see. It’s already been challenging for years, and the merger will only make this worse.”

“There are already very few buyers out there. Original ideas and non legacy IP is extremely hard to get made by a major studio or network. The winnowing down of choices results in less opportunity for new voices and diverse viewpoints in what we all are given the opportunity to…”
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller)

Stiller’s remarks came in response to actor Mark Ruffalo, who shared his own struggles in bringing the series I Know This Much Is True to screen. Ruffalo noted that HBO was the only streamer willing to produce the series, calling it “very difficult material.”

“HBO was the only streamer willing to make I Know This Much Is True. Very difficult material. We won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for it. Knocking out even one streaming service, or combining even two, would have made I Know This Much Is True impossible to get made.”
— Mark Ruffalo

On the same day, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders approved the $110 billion merger with Paramount Global. CEO David Zaslav stated, “Over the past four years, our teams have transformed Warner Bros. Discovery and returned the company to industry leadership. Today’s stockholder approval is another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction that will deliver exceptional value to our stockholders.”

Despite the approval, shareholders voted to reject Zaslav’s $887 million golden parachute tied to the merger, though the vote was non-binding.

A coalition of advocacy organizations, led by the Future Film Coalition, issued a joint statement calling the shareholder vote a sign of “cracks in the armor” as opposition to the merger gains momentum. The statement read, “A-list stars, professionals from every corner of the film and entertainment industry, elected officials and concerned citizens have made their voices heard: the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger must be stopped. And it can be.”

The coalition’s open letter, which has garnered over 4,200 signatures, urges state attorneys general and other Washington decision-makers to block the merger.