It appears Paramount has won analysts’ first bidding war with Netflix over a merger with giant Warner Bros. Discovery. But now that the deal is close to being finalized, fears are growing among some Hollywood producers.
Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of F1: The Movie, tells Variety: “It’s sad. A lot of people will unfortunately lose their jobs, which is not good, but [Paramount Skydance chairman and CEO] David Ellison loves movies. He’ll make a lot of movies, and that’s a good thing.”
Insidious producer Jason Blum similarly echoes the fear of job losses, saying, “There’s nothing worse than that,” he said. “That’s an absolutely real fear, and you know, the only thing that can stop that is the government, but that’s a real fear. That’s always a downside to consolidation.”
Meanwhile, Forever creator Mara Brock Akil wants Hollywood to form a collective response to the threat of potential job losses.
“I think that’s the scary part of it,” she added. “What do you do when you’re afraid: cower in a corner or take action? I think we have to decide who we want to be as a community and as artists, and have a clear conversation about what is going to be the most powerful studio in the world… We have to start doing that now.”
It’s worth noting that Paramount/Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery bought in a $110 billion deal.
