While there was much uncertainty around whether Netflix or Paramount would acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), one thing was clear: WBD CEO David Zaslav would walk away a very wealthy man. Now, the official estimates are in. According to Variety, Zaslav is poised to receive up to $887 million in compensation tied to the company’s pending sale.
Industry rumors have recently connected Scarlett Johansson to a potential change in project involvement involving Disney’s Tangled and The Batman: Part II. It seems as though Johansson stepped away from portraying a live-action version of the Disney villain Mother Gothel in favor of other projects. These include an unknown role in the Batman sequel, as well as a reboot of The Exorcist.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has advised investors to take no action as it reviews the latest Paramount takeover proposal.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav pushed back against a proposed compensation package tied to the initial Paramount bid for the company, calling the discussions “inappropriate,” according to a newly disclosed SEC filing. The revelation adds another layer of controversy to the increasingly hostile battle for one of Hollywood’s most powerful media empires.
Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners exited its role as a financial backer of Paramount Skydance’s aggressive bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. The news landed on the same info cycle as renewed public criticism from President Donald Trump aimed at Paramount’s new Ellison-led ownership orbit: an overlap that reads less like coincidence and more like a pressure point in a rapidly politicizing megadeal environment.
The WB Paramount takeover battle is far from over, despite Warner Bros. Discovery’s board issuing a forceful public rejection of Paramount Skydance’s $30-per-share hostile bid.
The Netflix WB deal continues to send shockwaves through Hollywood, and now Netflix’s top executives are going on record to defend it. In a newly disclosed internal memo, Netflix co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters addressed employee concerns surrounding the company’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. studios, HBO, and HBO Max, insisting the deal represents “a win for the entertainment industry” rather than a death knell for Hollywood as critics have claimed.
In a Thursday morning interview with CNBC, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked for his thoughts on the battle being waged for Warner Bros. Like everyone else, Iger is watching from the sidelines — but unlike most, he’s orchestrated major studio mergers himself.
The battle between Netflix and Paramount for control of Warner Bros. Discovery has entered its most dramatic phase yet, with both companies staking out sharply different narratives after Paramount Skydance launched a full hostile takeover bid. The move sent shockwaves through the industry, and now Netflix has formally responded — projecting confidence, stability, and a determination to push its Warner Bros. deal across the finish line.
Something shifted inside Warner Bros. Discovery last week—and according to one source familiar with the situation, the mood has been fundamentally different ever since the Paramount hostile takeover saga publicly blew open. What was supposed to be a routine WBD employee town hall meeting scheduled last Friday with staff submitting questions in advance was quietly paused in the wake of the Paramount drama just as employees were preparing to hear from top leadership.
A newly released Paramount SEC filing regarding its hostile takeover tender offer for WBD has ignited a firestorm around Warner Bros. Discovery’s handling of its proposed sale to Netflix. According to the document, Paramount submitted an improved $30-per-share all-cash offer on December 4th—an offer specifically crafted to address every concern WBD had previously raised. But the filing alleges something extraordinary: WBD’s board never responded. Not a counter. Not a question. Not even a courtesy acknowledgment.
What David Ellison and Paramount did Monday morning — issuing a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery for $108 billion — sent shockwaves through the industry. Now that the dust has settled, analysts are working through how Paramount was able to make such a monumental all-cash offer.
Paramount, led by David Ellison, isn’t giving up its bid to win Warner Bros. Late last week the Warner Bros. board announced it had accepted an $82.7 billion proposal from Netflix. It’s an offer Ellison tells shareholders is an “inferior proposal.” He has since launched an attempted hostile takeover after the historically brutal bidding war.