After a hard bidding war between Netflix, Paramount Skydance and Comcast over Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix is in line to become the company's new owner. The streaming giant won the auction process for the legendary studio, and is now in the process of seeing the merger through. Having arguably the biggest streaming company in the world acquiring one of Hollywood's most important studios has not sat right with some important players in the entertainment industry.
One of such prominent figures has just spoken on the matter: Black Adam and Die Another Day actor Pierce Brosnan. The actor entered the comic book space in 2022's Black Adam, where he played Doctor Fate alongside Dwayne Johnson's magic-based antihero. Now, the actor has shared his feelings regarding the upcoming mega-deal. During an interview with The Times UK (via Deadline), the former 007 stated that a merger the size of Netflix and WB's did not feel right to him:
"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."
The actor went on to express gratitude over the work he has been provided by Netflix, but cautioned the already dire situations many movie theaters have already found themselves in: "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?"
As mentioned and acknowledged by him, Brosnan worked with Netflix on the crime comedy The Thursday Murder Club, an adaptation of Richard Osman's eponymous novel. Directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire), the film focuses on a friend group living in a retirement home who enjoy solving cold cases as a hobby. One day, their hobby becomes more pressing when they get embroiled in a murder mystery of their own. The Thursday Murder Club also stars Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.
As mentioned, other industry players have also expressed their concerns regarding their deal. Early in December, after the announcement that Netflix would officially be purchasing WBD, former Warner Bros. CEO Jason Kilar said on X: "If I was tasked with doing so, I could not think of a more effective way to reduce competition in Hollywood than selling WBD to Netflix."
Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron also spoke about his feelings regarding the merger during a December 2025 interview with Deadline. Cameron stated the following: "Look, it's no secret that Netflix, they've kind of, in a funny way, they've had to make an accommodation with a few filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and so on to keep a foot in theatrical, but I think it's no secret that they want to replace theatrical."
He further stated he felt that streaming would not be able to replace the theatrical experience: "OK, I mean, maybe that happens, I don't know, maybe I'm a dinosaur. I happen to think that there's something sacred about the movie-going experience and just the ease and broad access of streaming is not the complete answer. Maybe the universe adjusts around those two principles, but you can't just steamroll theatrical out of existence and I'm going to stay opposed to that."
Pierce Brosnan can be seen in The Thursday Murder Club, available to stream on Netflix. Black Adam is available to watch on HBO Max.
How do you feel about Netflix's merger with Warner Bros.? Share your thoughts in the comments!