Skydance and Paramount are deep into hashing out a complicated deal that would see David Ellison’s studio and its backers take control of the storied film and television company owned by Shari Redstone. The exclusive month-long negotiating period through May 3 is likely to be extended perhaps by a few weeks, Deadline hears, given the complexity of the transaction.
The rough contours of a Skydance deal would see a circa $2 billion payout to Redstone for a majority stake in family holding National Amusements Inc. Step 2 would see Paramount acquire Skydance in an all-stock deal valued at about $4 to 5 billion. That’s being worked on and will likely wind up at the high end of the range.
Lastly, Paramount’s new owners, led by deep-pocketed Oracle founder Larry Ellison and RedBird Capital, would infuse Paramount with a few billion dollars of fresh cash.
The company would stay together and stay public. That wouldn't likely be the case if private equity giant Apollo, with the possible participation of Sony Pictures, enters the scene. The Apollo scenario is believed to only have a chance of becoming real only if Skydance talks falter.>>>Lawsuits Threatened |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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IF You Can Meet With Triumph... - Paramount’s all-audience movie IF, starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by John Krasinski, is heading for a $40M-plus opening on May 17 — which is very good for a non-holiday in May and for an original movie. >>>Demos
New Line's New Project - No decision has been made, but sources tell Deadline that New Line is the favorite to land the package that is based on the biography The Chris Farley Show with Paul Walter Hauser attached to play the beloved comedian. >>>Lorne Michaels Producing
Hot Cannes Package - Way of The Warrior Kid is slated to begin production this summer, with Chris Pratt starring and McG directing a Will Staples-scripted adaptation of the the novel by Jock Willink. He is the retired Navy SEAL who found a thriving second career as podcast host, bestselling author and motivational speaker. >>>Youth Empowerment Tale
The Politics Of Bollywood - The delayed release of Indian feature film The Sabarmati Report has placed new scrutiny on Bollywood’s relationship with the country’s political machine, as elections in the world’s largest democracy enter their second week. >>>Tensions Running High
Netflix Joins 'The Thursday Murder Club' - Netflix is aboard The Thursday Murder Club, the long-gestating Chris Columbus-directed feature adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling 2020 novel. >>>Amblin Producing
'Paw Patrol' Profits - Paramount and Spin Master’s sequel Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie made a pretty penny last year, according to Deadline's calculations. >>>2023's Most Valuable Blockbusters |
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As this year’s president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, NBC News Senior White House Kelly O’Donnell will preside over one of the biggest evenings in D.C. — a mix of politicos, media types and celebrities airing live across C-SPAN and other networks.
She took a break this week to chat with Deadline about the dinner, the challenging times for many in the media, and the “direct correlation” between shouted questions at the president and limited access. >>>Read The Interview |
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Exclusive
The Daily Show has added three new correspondents to its news team: Troy Iwata, Josh Johnson and Grace Kuhlenschmidt.
Exclusive
Apple and Skydance have cast four roles in action adventure pic Mayday: Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Marcin Dorocinski (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), Lovell Adams-Gray ( Power Book II: Ghost) and Clark Johnson (The Wire).
Exclusive
Jackson White (Tell Me Lies) has been tapped to star opposite Lily James in the upcoming film inspired by the story of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, from 20th Century Studios and Ethea Entertainment.
Justin Hartley announced Thursday in a video on Instagram that Jensen Ackles has been cast as his character's estranged brother, Russell, on CBS’ drama series Tracker. |
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More News 🚨 A fundraiser launched for the crew member injured during an accident on the set of The Pickup indicated dolly grip Marvin Haven suffered “broken ribs, multiple fractures in his neck and back, a shattered scapula, punctured lung, and a skull fracture which will require facial reconstructive surgery.”
🧅 The Onion has been sold, again. G/O Media has sold the humor brand to four anonymous investors calling themselves “Global Tetrahedron,” named after one of the site’s own gags. Former NBC News reporter Ben Collins has been named CEO.
🖥️ Major internet providers once again will have to abide by a set of robust rules of the road, prohibiting them from blocking or throttling traffic, as the FCC has reinstated net neutrality regulations.
✊ The Writers Guild of Canada has “overwhelmingly” voted in favor of authorizing strike action if there is no resolution to the ongoing talks with the Canadian Media Producers Association.
🏓 On this week’s episode of 20 Questions on Deadline, Jimmy Fallon told a bizarre story about the Prince and his penchant for table tennis.
💰 Google and YouTube parent Alphabet blew away Wall Street estimates with revenue up 15% to $80.5 billion driven by strong ad growth.
👻 Ghosts star Asher Grodman spoke with Deadline about Season 3, his hopes for the future, and whether or not he’s secretly jealous of other ghosts' powers. |
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Obituaries
🕯️ French director Laurent Cantet, who won the Cannes Palme d’Or in 2008 for The Class, has died at the age of 63. 🕯️ Mike Pinder, who co-founded the Moody Blues and played keyboards and mellotron and sang on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group’s first nine albums, died Wednesday at his home in Northern California. He was 82 and was the last surviving founding member of the legendary British band. 🕯️ Media & Hollywood Deaths Gallery |
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On the Radar
Fri - Challengers opens wide; RFK Jr. on Maher
Sat - Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted; AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Nicole Kidman; White House Correspondents' Dinner
Mon - Paramount earnings; NewFronts begin
Tue - Tony nominations announced |
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View From The Top - USC’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams went No. 1 to the Chicago Bears, as expected, in the NFL Draft. |
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