Skydance Succession: As David Ellison Sets His Team, Heads Are Rolling as Hollywood Finds Out Who’s Really in Charge

Of all the things keeping David Ellison up at night, the countdown to 2028 may be the most pressing. At least that’s what many media observers and Hollywood insiders believe. Ellison’s anxiety, they say, isn’t fueled by the forthcoming presidential election or the Olympic Games that will descend on Los Angeles, where Ellison now owns two iconic studio lots. Instead, his agita is arising from the 8 movies he still needs to acquire or produce in 2028 to reach the magic number of 30 — that’s the benchmark Skydance pledged to meet annually in order to close the $111 billion acquisition that made his company a content behemoth.

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Between Paramount and Warner Bros. Pictures, 22 films have been dated for 2028 so far. A large number of those — like “Gremlins 3,” Baz Luhrmann’s rumored Joan of Arc biopic and an untitled movie from the Duffer brothers — have yet to start production. And, of course, Hollywood is keeping a close watch on how the new regime handles the urgent task of closing deals with Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig for a “Barbie” follow-up.

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Despite Skydance’s other pledge — to streamline costs via cutting-edge technology — feature films remain one…

Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/

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