Once merged, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones company Warner Bros. will exist alongside Paramount as a sub-brand of Skydance.
The historic film and TV studios are being slapped together by David Ellison and backed by his billionaire dad Larry Ellison in a deal worth $110 billion, following a hostile bid for WB last year and despite various regulatory blocks that have attempted to scupper the deal in the U.S. and abroad. Concern has been raised that the merger may lead to thousands of job losses through corporate consolidation, afford control over a huge chunk of Hollywood to the Ellison family, and in turn risk the independence of news networks such as CNN.
However, opposition to the deal has now largely melted away and, with the merger’s completion appearing imminent, Ellison has now confirmed that “Skydance” will be the name of his soon-to-be enormous entertainment empire. The Warner Bros. and Paramount branding will still be kept for their relevant subdivisions.
Indeed, a bombastic new trailer for Skydance has also been revealed, showcasing the vast swath of Warner Bros. and Paramount intellectual property that Skydance will have access to, including the DC Comics, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter franchises.
“These brands are more than a destination, they are the launch pad,” a voiceover for the trailer states, in a script that sounds like it was written by an AI. “They don’t just live on screens, they move through culture. Each one, distinct. Built on story. Driven by technology. A new center of gravity. A constellation. A shared vision to go beyond. Look up. What once was the peak, is now just the beginning.”
Whatever that’s supposed to mean, the trailer includes clips from notable WB and Paramount movies and TV series such as Inception, Titanic, Superman, Barbie, Minecraft, The Godfather, The Sopranos, Star Trek, The Matrix, Game of Thrones, The Shawshank Redemption, Casablanca, A Star is Born, Grease, Sinners, Forrest Gump, Dune, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Great Gatsby, and Euphoria.
A selection of brand logos shown at the end of the trailer highlights that Skydance will own Paramount, WB, DC Comics, CNN, Paramount+, CBS, Nickelodeon, and HBO Max, plus MTV, TCM, Showtime, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Eurosport, Miramax, NewLine Cinema, Animal Planet, the UK’s Channel 5, and many, many more.
The deal that will cement ownership of all this under Skydance is now expected to close on October 6, the companies have said.
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