The talks surrounding Paramount’s anti-trust case are splitting state officials at the bargaining table into two factions — deal and no deal.
The studio is trying to settle the case brought against the entertainment giant by 12 states as it tries to push forward its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Now, a new report claims there’s no consensus among the states involved.
Despite many in the entertainment industry — including Mark Ruffalo — urging California AG Rob Bonta not to reach a settlement over the merger, Bonta is apparently trying to push the deal through … this according to CNN.
And while it was never revealed why they met … acting legends and activists Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Tobey Maguire met up with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday night — and Gavin is a huge proponent of keeping film companies in LA.
NEW: Paramount is in advanced settlement talks with state AGs, but the talks are creating divisions among some of the Democratic states that brought the lawsuit to block the Paramount-WBD deal, sources tell CNN. https://t.co/eNfFhVs1xH pic.twitter.com/BIj2Mx4RA3
@brianstelter
The major holdout apparently is New York AG Letitia James … who has been pushing back on the deal until additional worker protections have been guaranteed … CNN reports.
On the fence are reportedly Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and two other state AGs who want other concessions.
We’ve kept you up to speed through this rollercoaster session of negotiations … first Paramount told officials “we’re done” at one of the closed door meetings, before negotiations were back on.
One key source told us that despite the fact that talks had been renewed, the vibe of the meetings was “tense.”
The settlement talks are coming down to the wire … with Paramount CEO David Ellison threatening to leave California for good … and the possible torpedoing of the deal if the lawsuit moves forward.
