It’s 102 degrees in Los Angeles, but it’s certainly not a summer Friday on the Paramount lot. The studio is swarming with activity, subplots and preparations for the closing of Skydance‘s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery next week.The industry is obsessively speculating on who survives the merger to be named to David Ellison‘s executive leadership team come Monday. But first thing’s first — Ellison addressed his troops on the combined company’s new name. It’s Skydance, same as the company Ellison founded 20 years ago, and will be the parent to existing brands like Warner Bros., Paramount and HBO.“As we bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic. Both have distinct identities, extraordinary legacies and brands that have resonated with audiences for generations,” Ellison wrote to staff in a memo obtained by Variety. “We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. — and all our extraordinary brands — to remain in the spotlight.”Remain they will, though under various layers of oversight. Paramount Pictures…
Original source: https://variety.com/