The two sides have discussed Paramount potentially agreeing to run Warner Bros. studio separately for some period of time, per the Wall Street Journal
\n\nDavid Ellison’s Paramount Skydance is in “advanced talks” with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to settle the 12-state antitrust suit that’s holding up its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing anonymous sources.
\n\nA Paramount spokesperson declined to comment. A rep for Bonta’s office said, “Potential settlement talks are confidential. We cannot confirm or deny whether settlement talks are occurring or their alleged substance.”
\n\nPer the Journal’s report, the talks are “ongoing and there is no guarantee that an agreement will be reached.” Paramount and the California AG have “discussed compromises including Paramount agreeing to operate the two companies’ movie studios separately for a period rather than immediately combining them,” according to the WSJ article.
\n\nHowever, Bonta has previously said that running the two companies separately — but under common ownership — would be a mere “behavioral” remedy, and that he is looking for a structural remedy that would entail separate ownership.
\n\nA judge has scheduled a trial in the matter for March 2027. Paramount had requested that the 12 states…
Original source: https://variety.com/