Paramount and WBD in merger discussions

[TerryTrek]

And yet he's still working with Paramount on Mission Impossible 8 and Top Gun 3, so he's not going far.

Mission Impossible 8 had already been in the works, contracts already in play. So he must fulfill that.

Top Gun 3 could end up being under WBD by the time it comes to fruition.

According to the trades, there's no official talent signed for it right now, "no deals in place." It's just something Paramount announced that the studio is interested in perusing. Amusingly they announced it right after Tom signed with WBD. Almost as if not to scare away the Paramount shareholders.

 

[Jayson1]

I want them to make Days of Thunder part 2. Cole Trickle is about to race his final season but first he needs to put in his place this hot shot new racer who thinks he is better than him.

 

[Citiprime]

I want them to make Days of Thunder part 2. Cole Trickle is about to race his final season but first he needs to put in his place this hot shot new racer who thinks he is better than him.

Days of Thunder is infamous for scuttling Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer's original production deal with Paramount.

It cost 4 times as much to make as Top Gun, especially so because Simpson spent a significant amount of the budget on cocaine and prostitutes in Florida.

 

[Jayson1]

Yep but the movie is still great. Tom Cruise is still a big star. It would work. Well it could work. Nothing is for sure.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I'd rather have him make an adult drama with minimal running on the order of A FEW GOOD MEN or THE FIRM, and I'd like Harrison Ford to co-star. Unfortunately current Cruise is to sensitive to share over-the-title billing with ANYONE, despite Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman and other heavyweights previously sharing it with him.

Plus, ever since Affleck starred in STATE IN PLAY (which tanked), Hollywood largely gave up on expensive dramas during most of their calendar years.

 

[Ovation]

I'd rather have him make an adult drama with minimal running on the order of A FEW GOOD MEN or THE FIRM, and I'd like Harrison Ford to co-star. Unfortunately current Cruise is to sensitive to share over-the-title billing with ANYONE, despite Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman and other heavyweights previously sharing it with him.

Plus, ever since Affleck starred in STATE IN PLAY (which tanked), Hollywood largely gave up on expensive dramas during most of their calendar years.

I think he’d make an exception for Ford. The Firm has a book sequel. Maybe Cruise and Ford could be in the film version (just spitballing—haven’t read the book).

 

[Jayson1]

I'd rather have him make an adult drama with minimal running on the order of A FEW GOOD MEN or THE FIRM, and I'd like Harrison Ford to co-star. Unfortunately current Cruise is to sensitive to share over-the-title billing with ANYONE, despite Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman and other heavyweights previously sharing it with him.

Plus, ever since Affleck starred in STATE IN PLAY (which tanked), Hollywood largely gave up on expensive dramas during most of their calendar years.

I would like to see that. Another "Born on the 4th of July." Also they never did do that spin-off movie from Tropic Thunder where he plays Les Grossman. This talk made me think. My top 5 Top Cruise movies and that would be movies in which he is the star, would be:

1 Born on the 4th of July
2 Days of Thunder
3 The Mission Impossible movies
4 A Few Good Men
5 Valkyrie


But my top 5 Tom Cruise characters would be

1 Les Grossman
2 Frank Mackey(Magnolia)
3 Ron Kovic
4 Cole Trickle
5 Vincent (Collateral)

 

[1001001]

Tom Cruise movies can be discussed in TV&M.

 

[Reanok]

I'm curious about when the Section 31 movie with Michelle Yeoh will come out on Paramount plus and the future of Star trek tv shows and movies if this merger goes through.

 

[mb22]

https://deadline.com/2024/01/paramount-global-layoffs-february-1235798785/

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I would like to see that. Another "Born on the 4th of July."

While not many saw Oliver Stone's HEAVEN AND EARTH, that movie essentially completes his Vietnam trilogy.
(Rumors of a stateside PLATOON sequel with Charlie Sheen never got off serious ground.)

As for studio merging, I'm still annoyed Disney insisted on gobbling up 20th Century Fox, then took the Fox out of it.

 

[Char Kais]

Skydance Media CEO David Ellison Makes Offer For Control Of Paramount Global
https://deadline.com/2024/01/skydan...ional-amusements-paramount-global-1235804196/

David Ellison Makes Offer for Redstone Family’s Media Empire
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...akes-offer-for-redstone-family-s-media-empire

Star Trek owned by David Ellison?

Hmm? Not bad. Could be worse.
At least there is potential. Light at the end of the tunnel for Star Trek. This could be the best scenario for Star Trek.


https://www.wsj.com/business/media/skydance-ellison-top-gun-reacher-family-plan-paramount-86276f82

He Arrived in Hollywood With Money and a Name. It Just Might Work.
Skydance Media’s David Ellison produced and financed movies and shows. Now he has his eyes on Paramount.

“He’s not looking down on the masses,” said Ann Blanchard of Creative Artists Agency. “He wants to make sophisticated programming for millions of people.”
[...] hiring former Pixar creative chief John Lasseter in 2019 as head of its animation unit [...]

 

[Tomalak]

Better than WB.

 

[wayoung]

They've entered exclusive talks with Skydance, with Skydance making it a requirement that if the merger happens, they run the show, according to a copy paste I saw of an article from WSJ (which is pay walled). I scanned a couple non-paywalled and they do not mention that.

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/paramount-skydance-enter-exclusive-talks-to-merge-5e0569a5

 

[bdub76]

Better than WB.

This. I got rid of MAX. It got bad after the merger.

 

[Citiprime]

They've entered exclusive talks with Skydance, with Skydance making it a requirement that if the merger happens, they run the show, according to a copy paste I saw of an article from WSJ (which is pay walled). I scanned a couple non-paywalled and they do not mention that.

https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/paramount-skydance-enter-exclusive-talks-to-merge-5e0569a5

Of possible suitors, this is probably one of the better options if you're looking for a new leadership team that would be receptive to continued Star Trek production. Skydance has a history of working on Star Trek related properties.

Also, the rival offer that seemed to be on the table was from a hedge fund (Apollo) and would probably result in a lot of cost-cutting and asset sell offs to maximize profit margins if recent history is any indicator.