WGA Slams David Ellison’s Plan to Pull Paramount From California: ‘This Type of Behavior Is Precisely Why the Merger Should Be Blocked’

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has threatened to start pulling the company out of California if California Attorney General Rob Bonta does not negotiate a settlement over the antitrust suit to block the studio's acquisition of Warner Bros. According to TheWrap, Ellison told his leadership team that the process of moving the company out of California would begin on October 1 if Bonta continues to decline negotiations.

The Writers Guild of America has responded to Ellison's threat, stating that this type of behavior is precisely why the merger should be blocked, as reported by Variety. Ellison's team has offered "resolutions" to Bonta since May 19, but the Attorney General has declined to negotiate. An Oct. 1 date is significant as a $7 million/day ticking fee begins then.

Ellison's threat has been met with skepticism, with some dismissing it as grandstanding or a "hissy fit." However, a Paramount executive insists that Ellison is "dead serious" about moving the company out of California if necessary. The potential move has raised questions about whether a major Hollywood studio can operate out of a location other than California or Los Angeles.

Brief written by urgent.news from Variety, TheWrap — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.