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George Clooney has defended Mark Ruffalo’s right to criticise the proposed $111bn Paramount takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, saying he is concerned about the consequences of further consolidation in Hollywood. via: Variety George Clooney attended last year’s Venice Film Festival with “Jay Kelly,” a comedic drama in which he portrayed an aging A-lister who travels to Italy to receive a life achievement award. Now the actor is getting a real Venetian tribute, accepting the Go

Over 170 Jewish entertainment figures have signed an open letter defending Mark Ruffalo after Paramount accused him of fueling “antisemitic tropes.” via: Deadline An open letter titled “Enough!” that has been signed by Jewish artists and thinkers from across the world has been published in response to Mark Ruffalo being accused of antisemitism by a Paramount spokesperson for highlighting the Ellison family’s connection to the Israeli state and its military apparatus. The lett

Paramount reportedly plans to retain James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios despite Superman underperforming and Supergirl's failure. via: CBM According to a new report from The Wrap, the studio "plans to keep Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca at WB in a merged system, alongside New Line's Richard Brener and DC Studios' James Gunn and Peter Safran." We assumed that the deal was done, but last month, we got word that Paramount Skydance had agreed not to move forward with its multi

“Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder has come to the defense of Mark Ruffalo after Paramount accused him of invoking “antisemitic tropes” when criticizing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. via: THR Paramount accused Ruffalo of antisemitism after the actor drew links between Larry Ellison’s tech giant Oracle and the Israeli military. Larry Ellison is the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison and provided much of the funding that allowed David Ellison’s Skydance to merge with Paramou

As things continue to get ugly around the proposed merger, Mark Ruffalo has called out Paramount for calling him "antisemitic" over his criticism of the Warner Bros acquisition. via: THR Mark Ruffalo is rejecting Paramount‘s claim that his recent comments highlighting the role Larry Ellison’s Oracle played in the Israel-Gaza war were “antisemitic.” “The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest,” Ruffalo wrote on X Saturday morning. “Criticizin

Mark Ruffalo eviscerated the Ellison family and their Paramount-Warner Bros. merger on Friday over business ties he claimed contributed to Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. via: Variety A spokesperson for the David Ellison-run enterprise said the company is “troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong — they’re a bridge too far, and they cheapen

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance asked the judge overseeing the antitrust lawsuits filed by 12 states and the WGA to force the plaintiffs to pony up a whopping $1.88 billion bond to cover the company’s losses related to the delay in its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. via: Reuters Paramount Skydance (PSKY.O), opens new tab on Monday asked a ‌U.S. judge to require a dozen states challenging its acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab to post a $1.88 b

Paramount CEO David Ellison told a group of the company’s top executives that he will start the process of exiting California on October 1 if the state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta will not negotiate to settle an antitrust suit around the planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. via: Variety David Ellison is eager to reach a swift resolution in the antitrust case filed by 12 states seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. And, in a move seemingly aimed

Paramount $PARA 0.00% Skydance reported second-quarter results on Tuesday and raised its full-year profit outlook, as growth in streaming and film offset a continued decline in its cable television business. via: Variety Paramount Skydance said second-quarter profit fell, even as the company was boosted by its streaming media and studios operations, while its large TV division shed ad dollars and subscribers. David Ellison, the company’s CEO, vowed that its deal to acquire Wa

A federal judge has set a March 2027 trial date for the antitrust challenges to Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company. via: Deadline A federal judge has set the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger trial for next March. The date is much closer to the timeline sought by state attorneys general and the Writers Guild America, who sued to block the transaction, rather than a trial start this fall favored by Paramount. U.S. District Judge Arace

SAG-AFTRA leadership has taken a slightly more aggressive stand against Paramount Skydance‘s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, but it has stopped short of joining its sister union, the Writers Guild of America, in bringing the issue to court. via: THR In the wake of 12 state attorneys suing to block the $111 billion transaction, the national board for the performers union adopted a resolution on Saturday to formally resist the merger and support the regulators’ a

Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery hit a roadblock Monday after a federal judge temporarily paused the proposed merger, granting a request from a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who sued to thwart the $110 billion deal. via: Variety A judge ordered a temporary halt to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger on Monday, as a state coalition argues it would violate federal antitrust law, leading to higher prices and fewer movies and TV shows. Judge Araceli

Paramount’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is facing yet another legal challenge, as shareholders have sued David Ellison and his father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, alleging they struck an undisclosed deal with President Donald Trump to help win approval for the blockbuster media merger. via: Variety Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison and his tech billionaire dad Larry Ellison have been sued by a Paramount shareholder who alleged they cu

A dozen states, led by California, are suing to block Paramount from buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood mega-merger that would unite some of the nation's largest movie studios, television newsrooms, and other entertainment properties. via: THR A coalition of state attorneys general have sued Paramount to stop its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, a sweeping legal challenge to a merger that threatens to reshape Hollywood amid the absence of the Trump a

It’s been sixteen years since Freddy Krueger was last seen in the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot movie starring Jackie Earle Haley, with complicated rights issues playing a role in the franchise’s complete and total silence over the past several years. Today, that silence ends. via: THR Paramount Pictures has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to the original screenplay of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the movie written and directed by Wes Craven that kicked off the popular horro

Paramount Skydance Corp.'s (PSKY) $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) could soon face legal hurdles, according to media reports. via: Reuters U.S. states concerned that Paramount's (PSKY.O), opens new tab $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab will hurt competition could sue to block the deal as soon as next week, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. California Attorney General Rob Bonta ​has taken the lead

Paramount Skydance has committed to withdrawing from United International Pictures, its film distribution joint venture with Universal Pictures, as a condition for securing approval from the European Union for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a regulatory filing made public on Wednesday. via: Variety The move is in response to a request for Paramount to exit the venture made by the European Commission’s antitrust watchdog last week. The Eur

Paramount has slammed rival Netflix in a letter to the Department of Justice for campaiging against the Warner Bros. Discovery merger amid regulatory review of the deal the David Ellison company. via: Variety Paramount Skydance‘s top lawyer claims Netflix is so worried about the prospect of competing with a merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery that the streaming company is going all-out to try to “poison regulators and other stakeholders” against the pending $111 billion d

Emmy-winning actor Mark Ruffalo has claimed that Hollywood figures are “afraid” to oppose the proposed merger of studios Paramount and Warner Brothers. via: Variety Mark Ruffalo revealed in a new op-ed for The New York Times co-written with American Economic Liberties Project research director Matt Stoller that many Hollywood stars declined to sign the recent open letter that’s fighting to block the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger. “The most revealing thing about that letter wa

Warner Music Group has entered into a first-look deal with Paramount, the companies announced on Thursday, representing another push for WMG into film content after it had announced a deal with Netflix for documentaries back in March. via: Variety There aren’t any projects in development, though WMG’s roster includes legends like David Bowie, Cher, Phil Collins, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Joni Mitchell, and Frank Sinatra, as well as con