If Hollywood studios flee California, a disaster movie will follow

Could Paramount’s David Ellison back up a super-sized U-Haul truck and take two historic studios out of California?Paramount’s CEO, plotting to buy Warner Bros.Discovery for $110 billion, says he’ll take his mega-studio elsewhere if California Attorney General Rob Bonta doesn’t start merger settlement talks by Oct.

1, reports say.That could mean Warner Bros.exits the Golden State, too.

Ellison is attempting to buy the iconic studio via the country’s highest-profile merger in years.Where would they go? Team Ellison suggests Texas, Nashville, Georgia or an unnamed state could be the studio’s new home.The Paramount board reportedly approved an exit strategy should the two sides stay far apart on settlement talks.That includes a five-year plan to move much of the studio out of state under this scenario.Ellison may be going “all in” on the highest-stakes poker game in California, or this is a bluff for the ages. Either way, the latest revelations mark a dramatic escalation in a battle that already has the country’s undivided attention, not to mention La La Land’s.We already know where Hollywood, Inc.

stands on the deal.A-list stars like Benedict Cumberbatch, Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Glenn Close, Javier Bardem, Kristen Stewart and more have publicly spoken out against the merger.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story They fear the consolidation will mean fewer movies and, by default, job losses across the board for their colleagues.

The stars weren’t nearly as vocal when Netflix nearly sealed the deal on a Warner Bros.Discovery merger of its own.The numbers behind the deal are staggering.

Consider the $7 billion “breakup fee” if the merger doesn’t get done before June of 2027.Or the $500 million a year Paramount could sa...