- Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison set an Oct. 1 deadline for a settlement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta or he relocates the studio out of California; Tennessee, Texas and Georgia are reportedly on the destination list.
- A Sept. 15 court filing showed both sides agreed to meet Oct. 14 to explore a settlement, after an expected Sept. 15 announcement did not happen.
- The disputed transaction is a $110 billion combination of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would be the largest merger in Hollywood history and unite two of the five major film studios and two of the five major basic cable channel owners.
- In July 2026 Bonta led a coalition of 12 state attorneys general in an antitrust suit to block the deal, arguing the combined company would control roughly one-third of US theatrical motion pictures and one-third of basic cable programming.
- Paramount Skydance stock is down 19.09% year to date and 39.27% over the past year as the deal uncertainty persists.
Quotes
“Game on. It's either a massive settlement or a dramatic Hollywood relocation.”
“The resulting $110 billion combination would actually be the largest merger in Hollywood history.”
“Their case rests on a specific competitive concern that the combined company would control approximately one-third of theatrical motion pictures and one-third of basic cable programming in the United States.”