Former 007 Pierce Brosnan, like many top industry talent, is voicing his concerns over the future of cinematic offerings in the wake of the proposed Netflix takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The star of The Thursday Murder Club, the streamer’s adaptation of the first of Richard Osman’s five novels, described the merger as “unsettling” in a new interview with The Times U.K.
“To have one dominant force that colors what we see, how we see it and where we see it is a change that doesn’t feel culturally right,” he said.
The Mamma Mia! alum continued, “I love cinema and I’ve seen cinemas evaporate from the landscape where I live in California, and here in London. Netflix has given me employment, but you have to be diligent and ask yourself: How do you now traverse these waters without getting mangled and embittered by it?”
Brosnan — who will soon appear in Giant, the biographical boxing drama centering on former British pro Naseem Hamed — is the latest figure to scrutinize and critique the corporate move, alongside the likes of James Cameron and Jane Fonda.
On Dec. 5, Netflix announced it would be buying WBD and its streaming assets in a deal worth $82.7 billion, a valuation of nearly $28 a share. Shortly thereafter, Paramount Skydance launched a hostile bid, a cash offer of $30 per share. Since then, WBD has urged its shareholders to reject the latter’s proposition, saying it is moving ahead with Netflix’s initial offer. Though WBD’s future remains uncertain, what is undeniable is the fervent sentiment that has united entertainment leaders and political officials in sounding off about competition laws, with Elizabeth Warren calling the impending merger “a five-alarm antitrust fire and exactly what our anti-monopoly laws are written to prevent.”