Rallies Urge Bonta 'Do Not Cave' as Paramount Settlement Nears

As Paramount's weekend settlement talks with state attorneys general reach a critical stage, opponents including Mark Ruffalo and Sen. Elizabeth Warren rallied to pressure AG Rob Bonta not to accept weak remedies.

Paramount Skydance's weekend settlement negotiations with the 12-state coalition of attorneys general reached a critical stage on Sunday, Variety reports, with sources describing the talks led by California AG Rob Bonta as moving in a positive direction. The federal lawsuit filed in July is the last obstacle to closing the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery agreed in late February. Paramount owes WBD shareholders an additional $7 million a day starting Oct. 1 if the deal is not closed, adding urgency, and the sides were expected to pause by Sunday evening for Yom Kippur if no agreement had been reached.

Bonta has repeatedly demanded structural remedies, but The Wall Street Journal — cited in Variety's reporting — suggested the deal might only include operating the two studios 'separately for a period,' which Bonta himself has called a weak behavioral remedy: 'There needs to be separate ownership,' he told Variety last month. That gap between his stated demands and the rumored terms is what's fueling the backlash. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a 'massive mistake to cave,' warning in TheWrap of 'another Trump-controlled media conglomerate abusing its power,' noting CNN reporters were among those turned away from the White House on Saturday.

Variety reports the discussions have included David Ellison's pledge to produce at least 30 films a year, a written agreement to remain in California, and a third-party 'editorial adviser' for CNN and CBS. Notably, Ellison already promised Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Laura Friedman in a Feb. 28 letter to keep 'both of these legacy studios operating separately,' making the rumored terms largely a restatement of existing pledges. The Block the Merger coalition called the rumored deal 'an insult to everyone who has stood up against this harmful transaction,' while TheWrap reports more than 75,000 people have signed on opposing it.

Opponents are staging rallies in Oakland — where Mark Ruffalo urged fans Sunday: 'Don't you dare @AGRobBonta, do not cave' — plus New York on Monday and Los Angeles on Tuesday, per Variety. The WGA, which filed its own antitrust suit and is party to a stipulation blocking the merger before a March 2027 federal trial, is not part of the settlement talks. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin takes up the case Thursday, where Paramount seeks a $1.88 billion bond from the WGA and states. Meanwhile, Variety reports HBO's Casey Bloys and WBD's JB Perrette appear to be shifting into deal-closing mode.