Key Takeaways
- • Tony Gilroy, creator of the Emmy-winning series "Andor," publicly criticized the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger at the New York Film Festival, calling it "tragic" and warning it will "destroy" the studio business model that has sustained mid-budget, adult-oriented filmmaking for decades.
- • Gilroy argues the merger represents venture capital's destructive influence on Hollywood's "healthy and beautiful business," specifically threatening the mid-budget drama category that has historically allowed filmmakers to develop their careers.
- • His criticism centers on the architectural dismantling of a functioning business model, not on claims that the film industry itself is failing—Gilroy emphasized that audiences remain engaged with quality content across platforms and theatrical releases.
- • Gilroy's new film "Behemoth!" ($36 million budget), starring Pedro Pascal, exemplifies the mid-budget adult drama format he fears will disappear post-merger; the film was selected as the centerpiece presentation for the 64th New York Film Festival, underscoring the festival's role as a counterweight to industry consolidation.
- • David Ellison's announced plan to consolidate both Paramount and Warner Bros. under a company named Skydance triggered Gilroy's rebuke, marking a rare public statement from a major creator about the strategic consequences of the deal.
Summary
Tony Gilroy delivered a pointed critique of the impending Paramount-Warner Bros. merger during the world premiere of his new film "Behemoth!" at Alice Tully Hall at the New York Film Festival on Friday night. The "Andor" creator characterized the deal as fundamentally destructive to a thriving industry ecosystem, framing the merger not as a necessary restructuring of a failing business, but as a misguided consolidation driven by venture capital priorities that will eliminate the creative and financial infrastructure supporting mid-budget filmmaking.
Gilroy's central argument challenges the prevailing narrative of Hollywood crisis. He told Variety: "People say the movie business is in trouble. You go around, you stand anywhere you want, what do people talk about? Did you see this? Did you see that? What episode are you on? The business is solid, and to destroy the architecture that made it so in the name of venture capital, it's tragic." His comment targets the strategic rationale behind David Ellison's announced plan to place both historic studios under the Skydance umbrella, suggesting that financial engineering and consolidation will eliminate the ecosystem that sustained creators like himself over three decades.
"Behemoth!"—a $36 million production starring Pedro Pascal as a Hollywood film composer—exemplifies the category Gilroy fears will disappear. The film's selection as the 64th New York Film Festival's centerpiece further underscores his point about the value of platforms dedicated to curating quality cinema. Gilroy offered qualified praise for the festival itself as "a bright spot amid an increasingly turbulent Hollywood landscape," thanking organizers for maintaining curatorial standards when "so many things go to shit in Hollywood." His framing positions the festival, not industry consolidation, as the appropriate institutional response to market pressures.
Gilroy's central argument challenges the prevailing narrative of Hollywood crisis. He told Variety: "People say the movie business is in trouble. You go around, you stand anywhere you want, what do people talk about? Did you see this? Did you see that? What episode are you on? The business is solid, and to destroy the architecture that made it so in the name of venture capital, it's tragic." His comment targets the strategic rationale behind David Ellison's announced plan to place both historic studios under the Skydance umbrella, suggesting that financial engineering and consolidation will eliminate the ecosystem that sustained creators like himself over three decades.
"Behemoth!"—a $36 million production starring Pedro Pascal as a Hollywood film composer—exemplifies the category Gilroy fears will disappear. The film's selection as the 64th New York Film Festival's centerpiece further underscores his point about the value of platforms dedicated to curating quality cinema. Gilroy offered qualified praise for the festival itself as "a bright spot amid an increasingly turbulent Hollywood landscape," thanking organizers for maintaining curatorial standards when "so many things go to shit in Hollywood." His framing positions the festival, not industry consolidation, as the appropriate institutional response to market pressures.
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