After all that, it is still David Ellison's show. Paramount Global confirmed late Monday that the Skydance Media merger will proceed after a rival group of investors led by Edgar Bronfman Jr. exited the bidding.
In a statement following the withdrawal of the Bronfman bid, the special committee of Paramount's board that has steered the company's erratic, months-long merger process acknowledged Skydance as the prevailing suitor. The emergence of an alternative (at least in theory) to the $8 billion proposal by Ellison and backers including RedBird Capital had prolonged the saga for weeks after Skydance and Paramount sounded the trumpets in July. The committee had extended the “go-shop” provision in the deal through September 5, but the go-shop window has now officially closed.
“On behalf of the Special Committee we thank Mr. Bronfman and his investor group for their interest and efforts,” said Charles E. Phillips, Jr., Chair of the Special Committee. “Having thoroughly explored actionable opportunities for Paramount over nearly eight months, our Special Committee continues to believe that the transaction we have agreed with Skydance delivers immediate value and the potential for continued participation in value creation in a rapidly evolving industry landscape."
A regulatory review period will now unfold, with stakeholders predicting the transaction will be closed in the first half of 2025. Skydance has not yet commented on the late-night developments. >>>Media Turning Point |
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'Spot' On - In a very competitive situation, Hulu has landed drama The Spot, starring and executive produced by Oscar and Emmy winner Kate Winslet, with a straight-to-series order, sources tell Deadline. The project comes from Ed Solomon (Full Circle, Men in Black), A24 and 20th Television. >>>Solomon To Showrun
'The Crow's Wings Get Clipped - After 16 years of fits and starts, a $50M reboot of 1994 goth thriller The Crow finally flew into theaters and dropped out of the sky with a disastrous $4.6M opening. >>>How It Happened
'Who Killed Diana?' - Ahead of the anniversary of the tragedy in Paris, a new docuseries about Princess Diana is in the works. EverWonder Studio, the company founded by former Time Studios President Ian Orefice and backed by Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI, is teaming with Emma Cooper’s Empress Films, the company behind Netflix docs Depp vs. Heard and The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe. >>>3-Part Series
ESPN Changes Starting Lineup - ESPN unveiled a sweeping reorg of its programming exec ranks, including the promotion of Mike McQuade to the newly created post of EVP, Sports Production. >>>Read The Memo
Teamsters Back To Bargaining - The Teamsters are back at the bargaining table with the Hollywood studios Monday to negotiate a new three-year contract for casting professionals. Wage increases and protections are once again the top dealmaking priority. >>>Want Minimum Compensation
'Cupertino' Time - Eight years after the end of The Good Wife, Robert King and Michelle King are developing another legal drama for CBS. Tentatively titled Cupertino, after the city in Silicon Valley known as the headquarters of Apple, the project is described as David vs. Goliath legal show set in Silicon Valley. >>>A Hot Subject |
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All American: Homecoming's Martin Bobb-Semple remained tight-lipped about the possibility of his character, Lando, finding romance with Simone, but he did speak about exploring a new, more vulnerable side of the character and achieving closure after the show’s cancellation. >>>Read The Interview |
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Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to 1970s espionage thriller PONIES, starring and executive produced by Emilia Clarke. The project, co-created, co-written and executive produced by Susanna Fogel (The Flight Attendant) and David Iserson (Mr. Robot) and exec produced by Jessica Rhoades (Black Mirror), previously had a cast-contingent blinking green light, which Clarke’s commitment turned into a firm order.
Exclusive
Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy) and Colby Minifie (The Boys) will lead the cast of The Surrender, an indie horror film from first-time feature filmmaker Julia Max.
Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, who hosted the long-running TLC fashion series What Not To Wear, are back with another stylish reality series about clothes. Wear Whatever The F You Want has been handed a greenlight from Amazon’s Prime Video service and comes ten years after What Not To Wear ended.
Following his five-season run on NBC’s New Amsterdam, Ryan Eggold is returning to the network for a guest role on Law & Order. Also set for guest-starring roles are Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay and SVU alum Elizabeth Marvel . Hargitay will guest star as Captain Olivia Benson and Marvel will reprise her role as Defense Attorney Rita Calhoun.
A seismic shift is about to occur in Port Charles: Kelly Monaco, who plays Sam McCall, is leaving General Hospital. Monaco, who first joined the ABC sudser in 2003, will leave sometime this fall. |
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More News 🎟️ The upcoming Broadway reimagining of Romeo And Juliet starring Heartstopper's Kit Conner and West Side Story's Rachel Zegler has extended its run by four weeks due to strong advance ticket sales.
⚖️ Sean Combs went on the offensive in the hope of having his former producer Lil Rod’s $30 million sexual assault and trafficking lawsuit dismissed, calling it "his third attempt to dress up a run of the mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy." |
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On the Radar
Tue - Only Murders in the Building S4 premiere
Wed - Venice Film Festival kicks off
Thu - Rings of Power S2 debuts
Mon - Labor Day |
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Musical Detente - Mancunian rockers Liam and Noel Gallagher have patched up a 15-year feud and will embark on a 14-date stadium tour next year. Tickets go on sale on August 31. Oasis Live 25 is being called "a world tour," but the only announced dates are in Cardiff, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin. |
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