Inside David Ellison's desperate fight for Warner Bros.

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred In less than a month, Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison has exhibited a dizzying range of emotions as the goal line for the coveted $111-billion Warner Bros.Discovery deal has moved farther away.The tech scion initially exuded confidence that Hollywood’s biggest merger in decades was on a fast track to completion by September.

Ellison and others downplayed efforts by California Atty.Gen.

Rob Bonta to challenge the acquisition — until Bonta and 11 other Democratic state attorneys general gained momentum in their antitrust lawsuit, which now threatens to derail Paramount’s Warner Bros.deal or, at least, make it significantly more expensive.Ellison and his executives have vacillated from anger to acceptance.

Last week, Ellison attempted a high-profile reputation reboot, extolling his love for movies and blaming politics for opposition to the deal.The mogul has told investors the company is willing to negotiate a settlement with Bonta in hopes of completing the massive merger as soon as possible.

But Ellison also is making contingency plans to shift Paramount’s historic home base from Melrose Avenue to Tennessee — or perhaps Texas — as early as this fall.Paramount’s board has approved Ellison’s relocation plans, according to people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Ellison shared the concept with his executive leadership team in a meeting last Wednesday but said his preference was to remain in California, these people said.The proposal includes potentially selling the 65-acre Paramount lot in Hollywood — as well as the larger Warner Bros.campus in Burbank, should Paramount prevail in the merger battle.

Such sales would generate revenue to help pay merger costs, one of the knowledgeable sources said.Paramount’s sudden relocation plan h...