April 13, 2026
Peter Kramer/HBO
'Task' and 'Mare of Easttown' creator Brad Ingelsby, left, and Mark Ruffalo, right, joined over 1,000 other Hollywood creatives in signing an open letter against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
Over 1,000 actors, writers, directors and producers have voiced their "unequivocal" opposition to the proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. through an open letter — including a pair of Philly area natives who just worked on HBO's Delco crime drama "Task."
The series' creator Brad Ingelsby and Jeremiah Zagar, who directed half of the first season, both added their names to the letter. Ingelsby, who also created "Mare of Easttown," hails from and still resides in Berwyn. Zagar, the son of Philadelphia's Magic Gardens' founding artist Isaiah Zagar, grew up in South Philadelphia. He returned to the city in 2020 to direct the Adam Sandler basketball drama "Hustle."
"This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it," the letter reads. "The 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. Alarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four."
Ingelsby and Zagar's leading man on "Task," Mark Ruffalo, and supporting actors Martha Plimpton and Raúl Castillo also signed the open letter. Other signatories with local ties include Wayne native writer-actress Abbi Jacobson and writer-director Adam McKay, who grew up in Malvern.
Warner Bros. Discovery accepted a $110 billion bid from Paramount Skydance Corporation in February, quashing Netflix's earlier acquisition attempt. The deal still requires federal regulatory approval, but if it clears those hurdles, the combined companies would boast considerable holdings. The merger would bring CBS, CNN, HBO, Showtime, DC Comics, Paramount, Warner Bros. and several more entertainment brands under one roof — amounting to over 15,000 movies and thousands of hours of television.
This consolidation would "grievously compromise" the "integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry," the letter writers argue. Many critics have voiced concern over the motives of the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corporation, David Ellison, who is the son of Oracle founder and staunch Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. Under Ellison's leadership, the entertainment conglomerate paid out a $16 million settlement to Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview with his presidential rival Kamala Harris and canceled "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" just three days after the host called the settlement a "big fat bribe" to gain federal approval of another merger between Paramount and Skydance Media.
As the open letter references, California Attorney General Rob Bonta has opened an investigation into the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, and indicated he may take legal action to block the acquisition. U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) has also expressed opposition to the deal.
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