Paramount and WBD in merger discussions
- Thread starter wayoung
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I don't see what Zaslav's opinion of Abrams has to do with anything. Abrams hasn't contributed to the Trek franchise since 2016, and wasn't likely to contribute again even before talks of this merger began.
I think JJ and Trek parted company a long lime ago, so no worries there.
Zaslav can barely keep the lights on in Burbank as he crashes the Warner Zeppelin into the ground. Even for venture capitalists and Wall Street money men that don't give a fuck about the film industry they're playing in, I just don't see how this merger makes any logical financial sense. WBD is more likely to raze the entire Paramount lot down and sell it off for parts like they're probably about to do with the WB lot. Lest I also forget that writers, directors, and actors are now steadfastly refusing to work under Zaslav's administration. Why bother when there's a large likelihood your new movie will be sacrificed on the altar of the almighty tax break?
This goes beyond bad for just Star Trek fans. It's bad for movie fans, for tv fans, for fans of cinema history, for Los Angeles historians. And it's likely also bumping up against anti-trust laws, too.
There are literally no long-term positives in this scenario.
This goes beyond bad for just Star Trek fans. It's bad for movie fans, for tv fans, for fans of cinema history, for Los Angeles historians. And it's likely also bumping up against anti-trust laws, too.
There are literally no long-term positives in this scenario.
Didn’t Paramount just do that on their own with Prodigy? Might well be the way things are going anyway,
This is NOT good news.
Paramount shopped Prodigy around, they didn't just vault it forever like Zaslav seems to prefer. And in fact, it found a new home, and season two will be able to be watched in many markets around the world.
If this merger had already taken place, there's a good chance we wouldn't be seeing season 2 at all, ever.
Warner Bros. Discovery is DEEP in debt (i.e., the company is reported to have $44 billion in debt on its balance sheet) and that's the reason they canceled most original programming on TBS and TNT, as well as shelving movies off of (HBO) Max to get write offs.
How adding more debt into the situation could be good for Star Trek or any of the acquired properties Paramount controls, I don't know. I can't see Star Trek airing on TBS or TNT given the aforementioned canceling of all original programming and then if you add in the experience Babylon 5 went through back in the 90s when TNT was actively pumping out original content, that didn't exactly go well.
That leaves (HBO) Max. If they were to put Star Trek on Max, I can't see them keeping the same pace of production with the level of multiple series and original movies. If you cut back to one or two Star Trek series being active, I could see Kurtzman being sacked either to be replaced by a new overarching showrunner, or scrapping the entire idea of a single creative voice directing the property and just going with each show having their own showrunner in control. Also, I might be wrong in thinking this, but Max original shows tend to have more of an edge. So I wonder if the tone of Star Trek might change to be a bit more adult (i.e., a Star Trek series with more graphic violence on the regular and explicit sex scenes?).
Also, given what occurred at CNN after Zaslav took control where there seemed to be an active policy by the executives installed by Warner Bros. Discovery to appease conservative critics of CNN who felt the network had become "too woke," I also wonder if there might be a push by the new ownership to mollify all of the critics of Nu-Trek that have blasted the social commentary of the new series.
How adding more debt into the situation could be good for Star Trek or any of the acquired properties Paramount controls, I don't know. I can't see Star Trek airing on TBS or TNT given the aforementioned canceling of all original programming and then if you add in the experience Babylon 5 went through back in the 90s when TNT was actively pumping out original content, that didn't exactly go well.
That leaves (HBO) Max. If they were to put Star Trek on Max, I can't see them keeping the same pace of production with the level of multiple series and original movies. If you cut back to one or two Star Trek series being active, I could see Kurtzman being sacked either to be replaced by a new overarching showrunner, or scrapping the entire idea of a single creative voice directing the property and just going with each show having their own showrunner in control. Also, I might be wrong in thinking this, but Max original shows tend to have more of an edge. So I wonder if the tone of Star Trek might change to be a bit more adult (i.e., a Star Trek series with more graphic violence on the regular and explicit sex scenes?).
Also, given what occurred at CNN after Zaslav took control where there seemed to be an active policy by the executives installed by Warner Bros. Discovery to appease conservative critics of CNN who felt the network had become "too woke," I also wonder if there might be a push by the new ownership to mollify all of the critics of Nu-Trek that have blasted the social commentary of the new series.
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Not sure what to think at the moment. Feels to early at the moment to think what could happen.
Taking Discovery Season 1 and Picard Season 1 and going even further than either went is something I'd be onboard with...
... but Star Trek for Republicans that's going to "Make Trek Great Again" is definitely something I'm NOT onboard with.
I refuse to watch CNN because of the change in regime. When Anderson Cooper gaslit everyone, that was the final straw for me. And probably a lot of other people too. I haven't watched CNN since then and never will again. I stick to MSNBC, if I want to watch cable news.
EDITED TO ADD: Worst case scenario, if it all comes tumbling down, I'm glad that I at least was able to get most of what I wanted out of this Star Trek era.
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Worst. He will turn it into a reality tv show.
"Who Wants to Date a Captain!"
"7 Little Ferengi"
"Holodeck Adventures." hosted by Mario Lopez
"Cooking with Neelix"
"Dabo Girl Island"
" The Singing Vulcans"
Yes, as that is not an unexpected approach: sell what was proven, and take few risks on new content (especially if recent content has not exactly wowed the public).
Sensible man on that point.
As I've been saying since the 1970s:
Star Trek
Star Trek
is dead
Thats not a negative in my book..
but.. I don't see it happening. ... starting to look like Demolition man.. Now all studios are Disney! .. ugh..
Agreed x infinity.
Now all studios are Disney! .. ugh..
...and that is not a good thing at all.
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