California pressured by IATSE and Directors Guild to push settlement in Paramount-Warner Bros. antitrust dispute

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is facing pressure from two major Hollywood unions to broker an out-of-court settlement in the ongoing antitrust dispute between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a letter sent by crew union IATSE and the Directors Guild.

The unions, acting through what The Hollywood Reporter described as a detailed outreach to Bonta, urged the state to reach an agreement with David Ellison rather than let the matter move into a courtroom fight scheduled for next year, framing the decision as a way to reduce delay and cost for the industry.

In their request, IATSE and the Directors Guild said the state should consider a settlement path instead of continuing the dispute toward litigation, according to the report. The unions’ approach highlights the practical influence California regulators can have when antitrust disputes involve large studios and major labor participants.

The legal fight at the center of the unions’ appeal is described as an antitrust dispute involving Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, with Ellison positioned in the matter as part of the agreement the unions are urging the attorney general to pursue.

California’s role matters because the attorney general can bring, support, or coordinate antitrust enforcement initiatives under state authority, and the state’s involvement can affect timelines, leverage, and litigation posture for the parties involved.

For IATSE and the Directors Guild, a settlement could alter how quickly contentious business and production issues are resolved for union members whose work schedules and employment prospects can be affected when major studio disputes run long.

The next steps depend on whether Bonta, the parties in the dispute, and any related stakeholders accept or pursue a settlement track as requested by the unions. If no agreement is reached, the case would remain on course toward the court proceedings next year described in the report.

The letter underscores how labor organizations, in addition to studios and regulators, can seek to shape enforcement outcomes in high-stakes entertainment disputes, particularly where a prolonged fight could carry wider ripple effects for working crews and directors across California’s film and television workforce.