Mark Ruffalo publicly backed California Attorney General Rob Bonta in the escalating fight over David Ellison’s proposed $110 billion takeover involving Paramount Skydance Corp and Warner Bros. Discovery. Ruffalo said the transaction would mainly enrich those positioned to profit from it and argued that further media consolidation could mean less competition, higher costs and job losses. He wrote on X that the deal would have been stopped already if not for what he called the Ellisons’ close relationship with Trump and a "partisan and compromised DOJ" (U.S. Justice Department). The merger is already facing a broad antitrust challenge. A coalition of 12 states has sued to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery transaction, saying it could reduce competition and harm consumers and Hollywood workers. Last month, SAG-AFTRA’s National Board also passed a resolution opposing the deal and supporting the state attorneys general challenging it in court. Bonta, one of the deal’s most outspoken opponents, said at POLITICO’s The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit that Paramount had repeatedly tried to pressure California into allowing the transaction and that the company’s relocation threat amounted to "blackmail" of regulators. The dispute is becoming more costly for Paramount and WBD as litigation drags on. The companies have extended the deal’s outside date to June 2027, and Paramount would owe a roughly $650 million quarterly ticking fee if the merger is still unfinished after Sept. 30, equal to about $7 million a day. Bonta also rejected Ellison’s claim that his opposition was motivated by a desire to stop the CNN acquisition, calling that allegation "false yesterday, false today, false tomorrow. False all day, every day." He has said he remains open to a settlement if Paramount approaches negotiations in good faith. Paramount shares closed at $9.50 on Wednesday, up 1.28%, and slipped 0.11% to $9.49 in after-hours trading.