Pierce Bosnan has said that Netflix’s proposed takeover of Warner Bros Discovery would put “one dominant force” in control of the entertainment we consume.
The 72-year-old Irish actor, who famously portrayed James Bond in four films between 1995 and 2002, said that Netflix’s control of the company feels “unsettling” and not “culturally right”.
The lucrative deal, worth $82.7bn, is yet to be finalised, and is subject to an extraordinary corporate battle to control the legacy media conglomerate after Paramount made a counteroffer of $108.4bn. But if Netflix wins the deal, the face of streaming is expected to shift in the coming years.
Speaking about the mounting concerns that Warner Bros’s projects, as well as those of its affiliate HBO, would see fewer cinematic releases under Netflix, Brosnan told The Times that he’s witnessed cinemas “evaporating from the landscape” where he lives in both California and 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?”
“To have one dominant force that colours what we see, how we see it and where we see it is a change that doesn’t feel culturally right,” he said.
Brosnan – who recently starred in Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix – is the latest figure to scrutinise and critique the corporate move, alongside the likes of James Cameron and Jane Fonda.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’s previous comments about cinema releases have made industry insiders increasingly concerned about how the prospective merger may affect the future of theatrical releases, if it does actualise.
“There’s no reason to believe that the movie itself is better on any size of screen,” Sandros said in 2023, noting that his son Tony, an editor, “watched Lawrence of Arabia on his phone” and enjoyed the experience just as much as he would have on a big screen.
What the deal means for the future of film and TV is still up for debate if Netflix, a service that bridged the gap between the big and small screen back in 2013, becomes a Hollywood conglomerate rivalling Disney.
Should the deal be pushed through, Netflix will own not just its own properties – from Stranger Things to Squid Game – but Harry Potter and the entirety of the DC Studios output.
After Netflix’s bid was made public, Paramount Skydance made a $108.4bn hostile takeover counteroffer. On Wednesday, Warner Bros Discovery urged shareholders to reject Paramount’s offer, branding it “inadequate” over financing concerns.
Paramount, which is controlled by the billionaire Ellison family, made a cash bid for the entire company, which also includes CNN news.
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