According to DeadlineSkydance Media and its backers have reached an agreement to invest a staggering sum 8 billion dollars in a takeover of Paramount Global – a deal that is expected to deliver “gold-plated media assets, including CBS, Nickelodeon And Paramount Pictures into new hands for the first time since the 1980s.
After the company received approval from Paramount’s board of directors last Sunday, the full committee agreed on a plan to first acquire National Amusements Inc. — the movie theater holding company owned by Shari Redstone, a woman whose family controls nearly 80 percent of Paramount’s voting stock, including but not limited to CBS, Comedy Central, BET, Showtime, Nickelodeon and MTV — before proceeding with a full merger with Skydance next year.
Skydance CEO David Ellison will now serve as “president and chief executive officer” of the new Paramount-Skydance hybrid (ParaDance? Dancin’ Mount?), while former NBCUniversal head Jeff Shell will serve as chairman. Variety Other reports indicate that, as seems inevitable in any news regarding a multi-billion dollar deal, Skydance will begin seeking a return on its money with the staggering $2 billion in cuts already identified by Ellison and Shell.
As a reader of this website, I know the question you are all asking: What does this mean for the future of Star Trekexactly? Under the previous regime, the beloved franchise has seen a resurgence in recent years, with Picard, New and strange worlds, Prodigy, Lower decks And Discovery-But will Ellison and company share the same enthusiasm for the property? That remains to be seen, of course, but the studio did co-produce the last two theatrical features, so maybe Terry Matalas will finally have another meeting about his dream Star Trek series, Legacyafter finishing with all these other projectsThe company has produced seven seasons of Grace and Frankieafter all…
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