Paramount, Warner Bros. bosses fear judge will block $110B deal in coming days: report

Executives at Paramount and Warner Bros.Discovery reportedly fear a judge will hit pause on their massive $110 billion merger in the coming days – putting the deal on hold for weeks as it nears a crucial deadline.The Hollywood behemoths had been hoping to finalize the deal next week, according to CNN, but a coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general on Monday requested a temporary restraining order blocking the acquisition due to antitrust concerns.People close to the matter told CNN they anticipate the TRO will be granted, putting the deal on hold for at least two to three weeks – and pushing Paramount and Warner Bros.

dangerously closer to a September deadline.Executives remain confident the deal will still eventually go through, especially as it has already received the greenlight from the Trump administration.“The deal will get done one way or another,” one suit told CNN.But a restraining order would push executives closer to an Oct.1 deadline, when — if the deal is not yet completed — a costly “ticking fee” kicks in.

That adds 25 cents per share to the cost of the merger for each quarter it is not completed.A pause would also keep the future ownership of CNN in limbo for weeks longer, as star anchors and staffers have reportedly grown panicked over the network’s editorial independence – after Paramount boss David Ellison installed Bari Weiss to run CBS News.Warner Bros.declined to comment.

Paramount Skydance did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.In the lawsuit filed Monday, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the blue state prosecutors argued the tie-up would violate antitrust laws, raising prices for consumers and harming the already-struggling movie theater industry. The proposed merger would combine HBO Max, Paramount+, HBO, CBS, CNN and thousands of movie titles under one company, as well as TV hits like “Heated Rivalry,” “1923” and “Landman.”According to the complaint, the comb...