The Writers Guild of America is piling on in the effort to immediately stop Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Early Wednesday, the union filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction to bar Paramount and WBD from “closing or consummating” their merger or “taking any steps to integrate or consolidate their operations.”
Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, blocking the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal from closing at least until Aug. 3. The order came at the request of a coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general that argues the deal will harm competition in the basic cable and theatrical distribution markets.
The states, led by California, are also seeking a preliminary injunction that would halt the deal indefinitely, until a trial is held on the merits on their case.
After the states sued last week, the WGA filed its own suit, alleging that the merger will also reduce writers’ pay and undermine competition in three labor markets: blockbuster scripts, writing for episodic shows and writers’ overall deals.
