Latest news with #Skydance
Business Insider
40 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Insider
We still don't know if Donald Trump is getting free ads from Paramount
Donald Trump said Larry and David Ellison are giving him millions in free ads as part of their recently finalized deal to acquire Paramount. Is that true? We still don't know — in part because David Ellison, who is now Paramount's CEO, has refused to directly address the question. But a new report in The New York Times says an Ellison lawyer has previously denied that there's a side deal. In July, after Fox News reported that Skydance — the Ellison-owned studio that wanted to buy Paramount — would provide millions to Trump via "advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions," an attorney for Skydance privately called the story "unmitigated false bullshit," per the Times. The Times also reports that a Trump rep continues to insist that "there was an unwritten understanding between the president and the owners of Skydance." A Paramount rep declined to comment. I've also asked the White House for comment. Prior to the Ellisons' purchase of the company, Paramount executives had said they had "no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement " that they agreed to. That's a lot of back-and-forth that ultimately doesn't clear anything up. We do know that Shari Redstone, Paramount's previous owner, gave Trump $16 million to settle a suit we can kindly describe as a legal long shot, where he accused Paramount's "60 Minutes" of interfering in the 2024 election because of the way it edited an interview with Kamala Harris. We also know that days after that payment, the Federal Communications Commission, headed by Trump appointee Brendan Carr, signed off on Skydance's acquisition of Paramount. Beyond that, for now, we have only Trump's claim that he "anticipate[s] receiving $20 Million Dollars more from the new Owners, in Advertising, PSAs, or similar Programming." As I've noted before, it's understandable that David Ellison doesn't want to address the he-said — or no-one-said — issue here: If Trump is wrong and Ellison contradicts him, he'll anger a President who routinely inserts himself into ostensibly privately run businesses. If Trump is right and Ellison says so, he'll have all kinds of other trouble. This shouldn't be fuzzy. Either one of the richest families in the world promised to give the president of the United States millions of dollars in free ads, so they could get the go-ahead to buy a major American media company — or they didn't. We shouldn't be left guessing.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Duffer Brothers In Talks With Paramount For Massive Deal
Paramount continues to make waves with splashy deals following Skydance's acquisition. We're hearing that Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer are in talks for a massive overall deal at the David Ellison-run media company. Details are still being worked out, and sources caution that things still could fall through, but we're hearing it would include both streaming and features with a big theatrical component, something the pair have not been able to get at their current home of more than a decade, Netflix. A rep for Paramount declined comment. The high-profile talent poaching would mark the first major move for Cindy Holland, Paramount's Chair of Direct-to-Consumer, who, as Head of English-language original series at Netflix, championed Stranger Things. In fact, the Duffers would be reunited with two executives who were key to Netflix betting on them and their 1980s supernatural drama. 'Ted Sarandos, Cindy Holland, Brian Wright and Matt Thunell took a huge chance on us and our show — and forever changed our lives,' the Duffers said in 2019 when Stranger Things was renewed for a fourth season and they signed a big overall deal with the streamer. More from Deadline Everything We Know About 'Stranger Things' Season 5 So Far 'Stranger Things' Creator Teases Season 5 & Says 'The Vanishing Of…' Episode Has 'Craziest Cold Open We've Ever Done' David Ellison's Paramount Takes Gloves Off In 'Top Gun: Maverick' Script Suit As Third Flyboy Flick On Deck Thunell is now President of Paramount TV Studios, whose focus will be developing and producing series for streaming. Since the Skydance-Paramount Global merger closed last week, Paramount has made a $7.7 billion deal with the UFC and has landed the James Mangold and Timothée Chalamet package High Side, both in a competitive situation. At a press event this week, the new Paramount leadership expressed their univocal support for theatrical movies. The news about the Duffers' pending Paramount deal comes as Stranger Things is coming to an end with its upcoming fifth season on Netflix. In 2022, the Duffers launched their production company, Upside Down Pictures, for film and television projects as part of a new overall deal with Netflix. They described Upside Down's mission at the time as aiming to create the kind of stories that inspired them growing up — 'stories that take place at that beautiful crossroads where the ordinary meets the extraordinary, where big spectacle co-exists with intimate character work, where heart wins out over cynicism.' Under that pact, the Duffer brothers are executive producing new Netflix supernatural series The Boroughs, which stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman and Denis O'Hare. They also have been working on a Stranger Things: Tales From '85 animated series and a live-action Stranger Things spinoff series. Stranger Things extensions would be carved out of the Duffer brothers' Paramount deal. Stranger Things was the first Netflix original series to become a pop culture phenomenon and branch out beyond the platform with Halloween costumes, toys and a presence at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights en route to becoming a merchandising juggernaut. Netflix and the Duffers also successfully expanded the franchise to the stage with the award-winning play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which has had successful runs both in the West End and on Broadway. Season 5 of Stranger Things will debut with four episodes on November 26, followed by three episodes on Christmas, and the finale on New Year's Eve. Stranger Things 4 is the third most-watched English-language series title on Netflix with 140.7 million views. The show's third season is No. 10 on the most popular list with 98.4 million views. The Duffers are eight-time Emmy nominees. Prior to Stranger Things they were co-EPs on the 2015-2016 Fox series Wayward Pines. They are repped by CAA, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About Prime Video's 'Legally Blonde' Prequel Series 'Elle' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
International Insider: Paramount's Week One; Cillian On ‘Steve'; Channel 4 Chuckles
August is a traditionally quiet month, but things are different in 2025, Insider fans, so we're back earlier than planned. Paramount's top-brass have been outlining their plans, and the festival circuit is springing back into life. Jesse Whittock here to bring you the big news. Sign up for the newsletter here. Of Paramount Importance More from Deadline Locarno: 'Two Seasons, Two Strangers' & 'Hair, Paper, Water...' Take Top Prizes 'Lioness' & 'The Madison' Poised For Renewals As New Paramount Brass Praise Taylor Sheridan & He Opens New Texas Campus With 101 Studios TIFF Officially Selects October 7th Documentary 'The Road Between Us' Amid Outcry A merry Skydance: As we found out last week, U.S. entertainment's freshest player on the block is the clunky-sounding Paramount, a Skydance Corporation. This week, we found out what the new kid is planning to do, now he has the keys to the castle. David Ellison, who is now Paramount CEO following completion of his Skydance company's takeover of the studio biz, almost immediately settled into life as a Hollywood mogul with jargon-heavy press appearances promising he was 'looking long-term' to 'create value for our shareholders.' He might just be alright in this world, you know. He ruled out making political statements amid ongoing controversy over a $16M payment Paramount made to President Donald Trump in the final days of Shari Redstone's regime and referenced Walter Kronkite and addressed what his company might look like in future. Stocks went mad, so it sounds like Wall Street is buying it. Anthony D'Alessandro and Justin Kroll had this handy explainer on the potential Paramount movie slate, Nellie Andreeva outlined how TV series production is being divided between two studios, and Jill Goldsmith reported on Paramount+'s game-changing $7.7B, seven-year UFC deal, as sports rights fever continues to engulf America's streaming players. Par's new streaming doyenne, Cindy Holland, went deeper on her plans, while Ellison's right-hand man, Jeff Shell, did the dirty work and addressed coming cuts and the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Among the dozens of developing stories, one international issue will be whether FAST platform Pluto merges with Paramount+. If legal matters are more your taste, you'll need to keep on top of fund manager and Paramount investor Mario Gabelli, who is suing Ellison's predecessor, Redstone, over the $2.4B proceeds she and her family took from the Skydance deal. Cillian On 'Steve' By order of the perky producers: Cillian Murphy's next feature, Steve, will premiere in Toronto ahead of a theatrical run and then a release on Netflix in October. The drama, which also features some darkly funny moments, is set in the mid-1990s and follows a pivotal day in the life of the titular headteacher and his students at a last-chance boys' reform school. Peaky Blinders and Oppenheimer star Murphy sat down with Nancy Tartaglione to talk about the film, which includes a rare feature film role for Tracey Ullman, known for her seminal late-1980s show that introduced the world to The Simpsons. Along with Steve writer/executive producer Max Porter, director Tim Mielants and Murphy's producing partner Alan Moloney, the actor addresses the genesis of the film, developing the characters, the emotional punch of the movie, how it relates to the challenges facing masculinity in the modern world and why everyone should watch 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple when it arrives. Watch the trailer for Steve here. Channel 4 Chuckles Horsing around at Horseferry Road: It might have taken Charlie Perkins three years to give her first interview as Channel 4's comedy supremo, but she made the right choice by having that talk with us. In an interview with Max at the UK network's Horseferry Road headquarters in London, Perkins outlined how Channel 4 is developing a 'new wave' of British comedic talent, despite hamstrung budgets and the after-effects on comedians and TV funnies of the global pandemic. New shows are in the works from Katy Wix and Adam Drake, Jess Bray and Alice Snedden, and Josh Pugh, while Munya Chawawa and Bridgerton breakout Charithra Chandran have been cast in another new show, Schooled. Perkins, who is heavily involved with the UK comedy circuit that is currently camped up in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival, also talked about David Mitchell and Robert Webb's first new sketch show since 2010, as she conducted the interview in a comedy hat and false moustache. (This is absolutely not true, just my pathetic attempt at injecting some extra humor). Read the interview here and warm your comedy cockles. Tough Times For TIFF Rocky path for 'The Road Between Us': The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) doesn't even start until September 4, but it has been making headlines all week on It all started when Anthony broke the news that the fest had uninvited Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich's documentary The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, which tells the story about retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) General Noam Tibon, who embarked on a mission to save his family from Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. Officially, this was due to 'general requirements' and specifically legal clearance of footage, but the Road Between Us accused TIFF of censorship, with sources suggesting officials were afraid of the disruptive protests that could accompany a film about an IDF soldier. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey later in the week told us the censorship claims were 'unequivocally false' and said his team working to find a solution. That solution was clearly found soon after, as we then revealed the film would now be selected for the fest's documentary strand line-up. 'We have worked together to find a resolution to satisfy important safety, legal and programming concerns,' read a joint statement from Bailey and Avrich. Sounds like the truth of the matter lay somewhere in the middle of the noise. Jackie Chan Charms Locarno Real star power: This year's Locarno Film Festival ends tomorrow after a starry fortnight of programming. Visitors to the Swiss festival this year included Emma Thompson, Jackie Chan, Alexander Payne, Lucy Liu, Naomi Kawase and Mohammad Rasoulof, who spoke to Zac about his life after leaving Iran and plans to return. It was an impressive line-up, which produced some unique stories. There was Thompson, who told a festival Q&A audience that she was once stalked by Donald Trump in the late 1990s. The 45th and 47th President, she said, called her out of the blue enquiring about a date, shortly after her high-profile divorce was finalized. Jackie Chan mania took over the festival during his brief three-day stretch in Locarno. The veteran Hong Kong actor introduced some of his classic films and received an honorary award. There's no starpower like international starpower – and that means reaching audiences in Hollywood to the most remote villages in the East and Global South. There are only a few stars still out there with such power, and Mr. Chan is one of them. At a Q&A session in Locarno, he was rushed by adoring fans who handed him gifts, and multiple parents handed their young children over to Chan for pictures. It was a wild ride. On the industry side, Canadian Filmmaker Geneviève Dulude-De Celles won the top prize at the Locarno Pro Awards, and a Piazza Grande screening was paused during the fest for a Gaza protest. Check back on Saturday to see who picks up the festival's Competition awards. Filmmakers in contention include Radu Jude, Kawase, and Abdellatif Kechiche. The Essentials 🌶️ Hot One: Barry Eisler's bestselling John Rain books are being adapted for Apple TV+ after the streamer and Tom Winchester's Pure Fiction label scored the rights. 🌶️ Another One: YouTube relationship format Blue Therapy has landed its first international adaptation at Belgium's Streamz. 🥵 Even more heat: Filipino filmmaker Pedring Lopez will direct UK-set horror The Ascendants. 🎭 Treading the boards: Kristin Scott Thomas has scored a role in a West End revival of The Cherry Orchard, per Breaking Baz. 🔔 School bell rings: Seven further cast members were unveiled for the upcoming second season of Prime Video YA hit Maxton Hall – The World Between Us. 🚪 Exit door: Karin Lindström is leaving her role as Amazon MGM Studios Head of Nordic Originals with a new gig lined up, and Emilia Widstrand will replace her. ⛺ Fests: Sarajevo Film Festival boss Jovan Marjanovic told Diana about the Eastern European fest's 31st edition, while Seriesly Berlin unveiled its line-up. ✍🏻 Addressing the critics: Mubi CEO Efe Cakarel penned an open letter aimed at fending off the mounting criticism of the indie film darling's links with shareholder Sequoia Capital, which is close with Israeli defense-tech startup Kela. 🦁 Lion lay-offs: Six staff at All3Media America's Lion TV US, including co-CEO Allison Corn, have been made redundant following a strategy switch. 🏆 Oscars: Switzerland and Czech Republic submitted their entries for the Academy's Best International Feature Film race. 🍿 Box office: Weapons and Freakier Friday hit cinemas and both outperformed expectations. International Insider was written by Jesse Whittock and edited by Stewart Clarke. Zac Ntim contributed Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About Prime Video's 'Legally Blonde' Prequel Series 'Elle' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Paramount takes big swing on exclusive UFC rights
Fights are coming to Paramount. Well, fights over the future of the company have been happening behind the scenes, on camera, and in the government for months now, but this is a different, not as could-impact-the-foundation-of-our-country-forever type of fighting. The now-Skydance-owned media giant has secured rights to the UFC in a massive $7.7 billion deal, The Verge reports. Starting in 2026, Paramount will stream the UFC's full slate of 13 marquee events plus 30 'Fight Nights' for seven years. The fights will be streamed live for Paramount subscribers without any additional paywalls, bucking the pay-per-view model ESPN+ has utilized in the past. The Disney-owned streamer's deal with TKO Group, the UFC's parent company, expires at the end of this year. Paramount will also simulcast some events on CBS. In a statement, TKO Group's president Mark Shapiro celebrated the change. 'The pay-per-view model is a thing of the past,' he said, per CNBC. 'What's on pay-per-view anymore? Boxing? Movies on DirecTV? It's an outdated, antiquated model. So, it was paramount to us—forgive the pun—where it's one-stop shopping, especially for our younger fans in flyover states. When they find out, 'Wait, if I just sign up for Paramount+ for $12.99 a month, I'm going to automatically get UFC's numbered fights and the rest of the portfolio?' That's a message we want to amplify.' New Paramount CEO David Ellison, a self-described UFC fan, expressed that he wanted to secure the pricey package due to the dearth of new sports rights currently available to streamers, CNBC reports. (The outlet points out that Formula 1 will likely go to Apple, while Major League Baseball is waiting until 2028 to reorganize its media packages.) 'UFC is a unicorn asset that comes up about once a decade,' Ellison said of the deal. Paramount is reportedly also interested in purchasing UFC's international rights, but those are only available on a rolling basis. For now, the streamer's fights will remain on U.S. soil. More from A.V. Club The best movies of 2005 R.I.P. Bobby Whitlock, co-founder of Derek And The Dominos Taylor Swift's Life Of A Showgirl now officially starting on October 3 Solve the daily Crossword
Gizmodo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Skydance-Paramount Megamerger Could Lead to Legendary Jumping Ship
A new report from Deadline reveals that Paramount, under David Ellison, is working out a deal with Legendary. This comes on the heels of the Duffer Brothers' Upside Down Productions moving from Netflix to Paramount over the weekend. The shakeups continue, as Legendary is now interested in starting a multi-picture global theatrical distribution deal through Skydance. The agreement, as Deadline reported, has been in the works since the spring and would exclude China but would give Paramount a built-in streaming window with Legendary for presumably Paramount+, which currently houses Star Trek and the Tom Cruise-led Mission Impossible franchise. It's a move that lines up with Paramount's announced plans to up its features output from 15 films a year to 20. While co-financing is on the table, the trade notes that the Legendary and Paramount slate is 'contingent on projects at hand,' and there are no titles announced yet. It also means that while Legendary is moving, pieces of its current slate are staying put in their respective homes, as Legendary doesn't exactly have an exclusive theatrical agreement with the studios it's currently working with. To give examples from Legendary's past releases, Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim was released through Warner Bros., then Pacific Rim 2: Uprising with Universal Pictures. Similarly, the first Monsterverse movie, Godzilla (2014), was originally in development at Universal before the rest of the franchise was locked in at Warner Bros. The Monsterverse, including the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: Supernova and Denis Villeneuve's Dune series, which is being capped off with 2026's Dune: Part Three, are staying put at WB Discovery. Additionally, after the massive success of A Minecraft Movie, that partnership's other comedic genre projects are expected to remain as well, including Animal Friends, a live-action animation hybrid comedy vehicle starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
