Jobs on the line in the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger — and Clooney backs Ruffalo
At Venice, George Clooney waded into the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger row, backing Mark Ruffalo against a controversial accusation.
Right, so George Clooney is taking the stage again — not just for his films, but to stick up for a fellow actor. At the Venice Film Festival, Clooney found himself weighing in on all this fuss between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD for short), which has turned into an absolute soap opera involving Mark Ruffalo, claims of antisemitism, and the looming threat of job cuts thanks to yet another mega-merger.
Ruffalo, Paramount, and That Merger Drama
If you’ve not been following, here’s the gist: Mark Ruffalo said his bit about the Warner Bros. deal, and Paramount immediately tried to paint his comments as ‘antisemitic’ — a rather loaded accusation. This all came to a head when Clooney, speaking to press at Venice, shot down the entire idea of silencing Ruffalo. He basically told the studios to get a grip and let people speak their minds, even if not everyone nods along.
In Clooney’s words, as he addressed the assembled hacks in Venice:
I support Mark Ruffalo’s ability to speak freely. I think that that’s ridiculous. We’re not going to ban speech.
He didn’t mince words, either — Clooney called Ruffalo a ‘good man’, backing him publicly while everyone else was dodging the topic. Not that Clooney is some wide-eyed optimist about the Paramount-WBD merger, mind: his basic take is that when two entertainment behemoths join forces, it’s rarely good news for the workers lower down the food chain.
My opinion on the merger is: I always worry whenever big companies are consolidating because it usually means a lot of people lose their jobs.
Paramount accused Ruffalo of making antisemitic comments after he weighed in on the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, but Clooney argued for Ruffalo’s right to speak freely — whether or not you agree with him.
Paramount’s claims of antisemitism against Ruffalo’s remarks drew public pushback from Clooney on the Venice stage.
Golden Lion & Upcoming Projects
On the festival side of things, Clooney was in Italy for a good reason: he’s getting the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, celebrating his 40+ years kicking about Hollywood as actor, director, and producer. The man himself got a laugh during his acceptance speech, calling Venice his ‘favourite festival’ and quipping that the Gold Lion ‘probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it’.
If you’re keeping track, Clooney isn’t slowing down anytime soon. He’s got a cameo lined up for Call My Agent! The Movie, landing on Netflix 10 September 2026, and — perhaps more amusing, depending on your tolerance for endless sequels — he’s returning as Danny Ocean in Ocean’s 14 alongside Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and the usual suspects.