SAG-AFTRA opposes Paramount WBD deal but skips WGA lawsuit
SAG-AFTRA’s board opposed the merger without production guarantees, while backing WGA and state antitrust suits without joining them.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
SAG-AFTRA’s Paramount WBD deal position is now official: the actors union’s National Board has voted to oppose Paramount Skydance’s planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery unless the studios agree to specific production protections.
The weekend resolution marks a firmer public stand from SAG-AFTRA, but the union is not joining the Writers Guild of America in court. Instead, the board put its support behind two pending antitrust challenges: one brought by the WGA and another filed by a group of state attorneys general.
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in a joint statement that the board’s action places the union’s demand on the record. They said the acquisition should not move ahead without enforceable safeguards against lower studio production and guarantees that a higher share of productions will be made in the United States.
The union leaders also said they recognize that other demands could be raised in the process. For now, they said, SAG-AFTRA is focusing on what it sees as the direct economic effect on its members and other entertainment workers, while leaving other issues to different advocates.
Why does SAG-AFTRA oppose the Paramount WBD deal?
SAG-AFTRA’s stated concern is jobs. The union says the merger should be blocked unless Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery accept enforceable promises meant to prevent production cuts and increase the percentage of work made in the U.S.
The resolution is more of a public pressure move than a legal one. SAG-AFTRA is backing the lawsuits already on file, but it has not filed its own case or signed onto the WGA’s suit.
How the union got here
SAG-AFTRA had held back from taking a firm position earlier in the process. When Netflix was still competing for Warner Bros. Discovery, the actors union said it would conduct a full analysis before choosing a side, while also warning that a potential deal raised serious questions.
In its latest statement to members, SAG-AFTRA said its leadership completed that review before adopting the resolution. The union said the process included meetings with lawyers, guild leaders, studio executives and the Department of Justice.
The merger has already cleared several regulatory hurdles. According to Deadline, the Trump administration’s Justice Department approved it quickly, and other international approvals followed, including European Union clearance with concessions tied to film distribution. A decision in the U.K. market remains pending.
Where the legal fight stands
The deal is not on a clean glide path to closing. Deadline reported that the Ellison family had hoped to complete the transaction in the third quarter, but the merger is now paused.
A dozen state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to stop the transaction on antitrust grounds. They also obtained a temporary restraining order. With a hearing on a preliminary injunction approaching, Paramount agreed Friday to proceed directly to trial instead, according to Deadline.
The WGA has filed its own lawsuit seeking to block the merger. Deadline reported that both the WGA case and the attorneys general case are before the same judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.
SAG-AFTRA’s move adds another Hollywood union voice against the transaction, even if it stops at the courthouse door. The board resolution leaves the actors union formally opposed unless the production guarantees it wants become part of the deal.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.