Here’s a twist. Paramount and California AG Rob Bonta are set for settlement talks in October after the state's lawsuit against the studio's $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
This is the first real movement toward resolving the case before next year's trial, and right now neither side is budging. Bonta has insisted he'll accept nothing short of structural remedies, meaning Paramount would have to sell off pieces of the combined company. Paramount has countered with by pledging to release at least 30 movies with 45-day theatrical windows.
If you remember, Bonta canceled a meeting last month one day before it was scheduled, accusing Paramount's reps of bad faith by leaking and misrepresenting details of an earlier session. Paramount denied it, said no confidential information was shared, and maintained it's ready to negotiate.
The timing is interesting. The settlement talks will occur nearly a month after the $7 million-per-day ticking fee start tabulating, which puts real pressure on Paramount to get this done. The studio has also threatened to leave California entirely — and Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and Xavier Becerra have all signaled they'd rather see the case settled than dragged through a trial.
The timing is interesting. The settlement talks will occur nearly a month after the $7 million-per-day ticking fee start tabulating, which puts real pressure on Paramount to get this done.