Mark Ruffalo urges California AG Rob Bonta to reject Paramount-Warner merger settlement

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is facing a Hollywood pressure campaign as a potential settlement threatens to clear a path for Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“Don’t you dare @AGRobBonta, do not cave,” actor and producer Mark Ruffalo warned on X, urging the AG to reject any agreement that would allow the merger to move forward.

Ruffalo said thousands of filmmakers had already taken a public stand against the deal, while more than 75,000 people have signed a petition aimed at the state attorneys general.

He also called on Bay Area supporters to show up outside Bonta’s Oakland office, claiming he was hearing the AG was “about to cave” and asking demonstrators to “reject this backroom deal.”

The backlash comes as Bonta and 11 other state attorneys general negotiate with Paramount CEO David Ellison over an antitrust lawsuit seeking to stop the merger.

Reports indicate the talks could produce a settlement, potentially avoiding a trial currently scheduled for March 2027.

The Block the Merger Coalition is also sounding the alarm, arguing that a settlement built around promises rather than enforceable protections would leave opponents of the transaction empty-handed.

“An agreement based only on unenforceable concessions is a win only for David Ellison. It is an L for everyone else,” the coalition said.

The group said more than 75,000 people have joined the campaign urging state AGs to hold the line, while citing support from industry figures and national leaders including Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Its demand: reject the settlement and block the merger outright.

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Ruffalo and the coalition have also faced criticism from opponents of their position, including former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt.

“Ruffalo doesn’t give a f–k about all the blue collar film workers who are dying out there. He’s got his millions, and he’s willing to f–k the rest of the industry for petty politics,” Pratt wrote on X.

Paramount faces a ticking clock of its own as it races to close the transaction.

Under the merger agreement, the company faces a $7 million-a-day “ticking fee” if the deal remains delayed after Sept. 30. Paramount has argued the mounting costs make a resolution increasingly urgent.

The company has also raised the possibility of moving its operations out of California if the legal fight continues.

Nashville, Austin and Georgia have been identified as possible destinations, while economists cited in the material estimate that a full departure could cost Los Angeles as many as 58,000 jobs.

The California Post reached out to Bonta’s office for comment and also reached out to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.