Washington [US], May 17 (ANI): Actor Mark Ruffalo has intensified his opposition to Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying he believes he has already become a target for speaking out against the deal.

According to Deadline, in a recent interview, the four-time Oscar nominee said he assumes he is 'already on a list' as they continue urging state officials to enforce antitrust laws and block the proposed takeover.

'It's interesting because a lot of people, off the bat, were afraid,' Ruffalo said, adding, 'They're afraid because, to quote one prominent agent whose name I won't divulge here, these are some vindictive mot--rfu--ers, the Ellisons.'

Ruffalo added that support for the campaign against the merger has continued to grow despite initial hesitation within the industry.

According to the actor, the open letter opposing the deal has gained an additional 2,000 signatures in the past month, taking the total to nearly 5,000.

'What we know is that courage is contagious, and there's safety in numbers,' he explained, adding, 'A lot of the people on this letter are people who either can afford to be there, like myself, or people who can't afford to not be there. They're fighting for their lives,' as quoted by Deadline.

The actor also referenced the impact of previous media consolidations, including the Fox-Disney merger, claiming the industry lost jobs, film projects and television productions as a result.

'The stakes are very, very high,' Ruffalo said, adding, 'They understand what happens when these mergers happen. The last one was Fox-Disney, and we lost so many jobs, we lost so many shows, we so many films that were in production or in pre-production or being developed, and we know the writing's on the wall.'

Ruffalo further raised concerns about media ownership and editorial independence, particularly with the possibility of the Ellison family controlling both CBS and CNN if the merger proceeds.

'With the merger meaning the Ellisons would own both CBS and CNN,' Ruffalo said he fears 'the degradation of journalism through political pressure,' as quoted by Deadline.

The actor pointed to CBS recently featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 60 Minutes, referring to Netanyahu as an 'accused war criminal.'

'He would have never been on 60 Minutes outside of this regime,' Ruffalo said.

Addressing fears within Hollywood over publicly opposing the merger, Ruffalo acknowledged he also feels pressure but believes speaking out is necessary.

'And I just want to speak to that fear thing, because I have fear. I'm not doing this because I'm fearless. I'm doing this because I know we have to,' he said, adding, 'I'm already on A list, I'm already not a friend of these people. And so, you're either gonna fight or you're gonna lay down.'

The actor also called on Hollywood agencies and unions to take a stronger stance against the proposed deal.

'I really hope they start to change their tune and see the writing on the wall here,' Ruffalo said, adding, 'Their clients are gonna suffer more from sitting back and letting this happen than getting out and fighting next to us, the unions too.'

The merger battle intensified earlier this year after Netflix withdrew from negotiations involving Warner Bros. Discovery, declining to increase its offer against Paramount Skydance's reported USD 31-per-share bid.

Netflix had previously signed USD 82.7 billion agreement with WBD in December before the Ellison-owned company launched its takeover attempt, according to Deadline.

Last month, Ruffalo joined more than 1,000 signatories on a letter warning that the merger could 'threaten the sustainability of the entire creative community.'

According to Deadline, the campaign has since expanded to nearly 5,000 supporters and was organised by the Committee for the First Amendment, the Future Film Coalition, the Writers Guild of America and the Democracy Defenders Fund. (ANI)