ANDOR Creator Tony Gilroy Warns Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Could Be “Tragic” for Hollywood

Hollywood consolidation has Andor creator Tony Gilroy seriously worried. At the world premiere of his new movie Behemoth!, the filmmaker took aim at the impending Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, arguing that combining two historic studios under Skydance threatens the business that allowed filmmakers like him to build their careers in the first place.

Gilroy’s $36 million adult drama Behemoth! is exactly the kind of mid-budget theatrical movie that has become increasingly difficult to get made in Hollywood, which helps explain why the merger was very much on Gilroy's mind.

“People say the movie business is in trouble,” Gilroy told Variety. “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.”

Audiences haven't stopped caring about movies and television. People are watching, talking and arguing about this stuff constantly. His concern is with the corporate machinery around the creative business and what happens when fewer companies control more of it.

The Paramount-Warner Bros. deal is expected to close Tuesday, October 6, following the resolution of an antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 states. Once completed, Paramount and Warner Bros. will operate under a combined parent company called Skydance, although David Ellison has said the Paramount and Warner Bros. studio brands will retain their individual identities.

Gilroy's latest film makes his concern about the future of theatrical filmmaking especially timely. Behemoth! stars Pedro Pascal as a gifted cellist who finds himself pulled back into the world of Hollywood film scoring. It's Gilroy's first major project since wrapping up the acclaimed Andor.

“Thank you for making [the festival] so elegant and glamorous, and for surrounding us with so many amazing films,” Gilroy told the crowd. “The way this is curated this year, this is a freakin’ lineup! Holy sh*t. And everybody knows it. When so many things go to shit in Hollywood, this is like a thank you. Thank you for letting us bring our soufflé to your groovy party.”

Gilroy also thanked Matt Greenfield and Searchlight Pictures for backing Behemoth!. Searchlight, which is owned by Disney, stepped up for a movie that isn't exactly an automatic greenlight in the current studio system.

“This is not an easy movie to greenlight, and it’s not an easy movie to sell,” he concluded. “But here we are. We’re here. We got here calmly, gracefully, no drama, and our joie de vivre intact.”

Behemoth! producer Sanne Wohlenberg shares Gilroy's concerns about what further studio consolidation could mean for filmmakers.

“God, it’s certainly turbulent and uncertain times, isn’t it? It never seems to get any easier,” Wohlenberg said. “I do think you have to take a deep breath and keep believing that things will be circular and come back. When you look at history, there have been many, many bad times.

“Sadly, we are steering into one, which will make the competitive nature of the industry and possibilities for a filmmaker alarmingly limited. And it shouldn’t be like that. I think we will survive it and I hope for better times.”

Those concerns are understandable. Losing another independent major studio owner means fewer corporate doors for filmmakers to knock on, and consolidation always raises legitimate questions about competition, jobs and which movies executives will be willing to finance.

Still, the conversation surrounding Paramount and Warner Bros. deserves a little perspective. This isn't the first time one Hollywood powerhouse has swallowed another major entertainment company.

Disney completed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019, which included Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Searchlight. Major studio ownership has been changing hands for decades.

None of that guarantees the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will be good for filmmakers, employees or moviegoers. It does mean that a studio changing ownership isn't automatically a death sentence for the studio or its movies.

There is also an important part of the Skydance deal that is encouraging. The combined company has committed to releasing at least 30 movies theatrically during each of its first two years, increasing to 32 annually during years three through five.

Qualifying movies must receive theatrical windows of at least 45 days, and the agreement includes requirements for wide releases, independent films and production investment.

For movie fans who have spent years watching theatrical windows shrink while studios pushed projects toward streaming, that's significant. If Warner Bros. is going to sell, betting to seel to Parmount than Netflix!

The real question is what kinds of movies fill those slots. Gilroy's Behemoth! represents the category worth watching most closely. Franchises, superheroes and giant event movies aren't likely to disappear. The bigger concern is whether a filmmaker can walk into the new Skydance with a $30 million to $40 million adult drama and actually get the thing made.

Gilroy clearly believes consolidation puts that opportunity at risk. The theatrical commitments attached to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger suggest Skydance intends to remain heavily invested in cinemas. Both things can be true at the same time.

We won't know what this new version of Skydance really means for Hollywood until the company starts making those greenlight decisions. That's where the merger will ultimately be judged by filmmakers and movie fans.