Paramount Skydance has defended its try to purchase the Warner Bros studio, in a letter to California’s high lawyer whose workplace is probing the $110 billion bid, U.S. media reported.
The transfer comes amid rising requires regulators to dam the takeover, with creators in Hollywood fearing the extremely leveraged buyout will imply job cuts and a drastically scaled again film slate, with manufacturing going straight to streaming.
In a letter addressed to state Attorney General Rob Bonta, Paramount says it’s deeply dedicated to producing movies and exhibiting them in cinemas.
“Theatrical runs increase awareness and anticipation through marketing and word-of-mouth, and then help convert that demand into viewing when the title later becomes available (and promoted) on the platform,” reads the letter, despatched on May 7 by Paramount’s Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim, in keeping with the news web site Semafor.
The new firm “will have every incentive to get more films into wider distribution on more movie theater screens — it is how it will compete for audiences across the entertainment ecosystem.”
In the eight-page doc, Paramount reiterates its pledge to launch at the least 30 movies per yr if the acquisition is permitted, with a minimal 45-day unique theatrical window.
A bidding battle for Warner Bros, and its helpful again catalogue erupted final yr between streaming big Netflix and Paramount, whose CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, an ally of President Donald Trump.
A cautious Tinseltown reluctantly coalesced across the Netflix bid, seeing it because the lesser of two evils, however Paramount’s willingness to stump up ever larger sums finally noticed the streamer withdraw.
Still, a whole lot of actors and administrators have signed a letter opposing the merger, arguing it should crimp manufacturing in an already struggling trade.
Bonta beforehand introduced that his workplace would carefully scrutinize the mammoth transaction, which acquired ultimate approval from Warner Bros Discovery shareholders final week.
Combined, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will embody CNN, CBS, HBO, and Nickelodeon, in addition to a few of Hollywood’s most respected franchises, together with “Harry Potter,” “Game of Thrones,” the DC Universe, “Mission: Impossible,” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
A spokesman from Bonta’s workplace declined to verify the existence of the letter.
© 2026 AFP