Mark Ruffalo used his Instagram Story on Friday to accuse the Ellison family and Oracle of complicity in what he called a “genocide” against Palestinians, tying the accusation to his ongoing opposition to Paramount Skydance’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The Oscar-nominated actor, who plays Bruce Banner in the Marvel blockbuster “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” reposted a video of Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz describing the company’s support for Israel’s military after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed roughly 1,200 people.
“We have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle,” Ms. Catz said in the clip, without specifying what the technology does.
Ms. Catz sits on Paramount Skydance’s board of directors alongside Mr. Ellison, according to the company’s most recent annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which also identifies Larry Ellison, David Ellison’s father, as Oracle’s executive chairman.
In a follow-up post, Mr. Ruffalo wrote that Oracle’s technology “will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you,” and asked why President Trump “pushed this illegal merger through.” He added, “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.”
Mr. Ruffalo has campaigned publicly against the $110 billion deal for months. It would combine Paramount’s television and film assets with Warner Bros. Discovery’s, including CNN, putting Mr. Ellison in control of CNN in addition to CBS News. Paramount’s ownership shift has already drawn scrutiny over changes at CBS News, including a new ombudsman with conservative ties that critics say reflect the network appeasing the Trump administration.
The merger remains on hold. A dozen state attorneys general, led by California’s Rob Bonta, sued in July to block the deal on antitrust grounds, and Paramount has agreed not to close the transaction before June 2027 unless a federal judge rules sooner. A Los Angeles County analysis released this week found the merger could cost roughly 4,500 direct film and television jobs in the region over three years.
Paramount has argued the combined company would boost production rather than cut it, pledging $30 billion annually in content investment and at least 30 theatrical releases a year.
Mr. Ruffalo’s post did not address the merger’s antitrust proceedings directly, focusing instead on Oracle’s support for and technological assistance to the Israeli military.
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