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Forget WarnerMount or ParaBros – David Ellison will name his new media conglomerate after the production company that gave him a foothold in Hollywood. On social media, Ellison announced on Friday that the combined companies will be called Skydance.
“Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture,” Ellison wrote, explaining his reasoning. “By combining them, we’re not rewriting history – we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first home for bold, quality stories.”
Indeed, no portmanteau could express these lofty intentions. But Ellison wasn’t done explaining how he and his team looked through their baby name book to land on the real deal.
“We chose this name for several important reasons,” he said. “First and foremost, when we brought Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what each of those studios have. brands – to stay in the spotlight.”
To encourage Hollywood for a merger many people fear, Team Skydance put together a trailer that included flashes of classic and non-classic films and shows from both studios. These include “Forrest Gump,” “The Dark Knight,” and “Inception,” as well as looks at Taylor Sheridan’s oeuvre and UFC. Starting with a clip from “Titanic” is an option (someone might want to remind Ellison how that movie ends). And all these images run as a familiar voice – recent Oscar winner and “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan – talks about the scope of what’s to come.
“These brands are more than a destination; they’re the launch pad,” Jordan intones in the sizzle reel. “They don’t just live on a screen; they move through culture. Each individual – story-driven, technology-driven.”
The arsenal of round brands is impressive. It includes streaming services HBO Max and Paramount+, channels like CBS, CNN, and Comedy Central, and franchises that include Harry Potter, “Game of Thrones,” “Superman,” “Star Trek,” “Mission: Impossible,” and SpongeBob.
So why be alarmed? Well, the merger of these two 100-plus-year-old studios is expected to lead to thousands of job cuts. However, Ellison has made certain concessions, including agreeing that the studios together will release more than 30 films per year for the first five years, a significant increase in output.
Not everyone will be there to update these content engines. Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who headed Warner Bros.’ movie studio, the door Thursday, and Cindy Holland, who headed Paramount’s streaming efforts, recently received her exit papers. As for the newest mogul in Hollywood, the sky is the limit, if, of course, the debt is not too heavy.
“The climax was just the beginning,” Ellison wrote.
