With the closure of the now-merged Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount now fully greenlit by the courts and set to close by the end of this week, the speculation around what the merged entity will be called has also been answered. Brandon Blake, entertainment lawyer at Blake & Wang P.A., shares the final verdict.
Returning to (Ellison’s) Roots
Rather than opting for anything that celebrates the two legacy Hollywood studios themselves, David Ellison has opted to name the new entertainment juggernaut after his old company, Skydance. This is, of course, the original name of the production company that gave him his first entry into Hollywood.
Of course, there’s plenty of corporate-level talk around what went into the final selection, including a promise of “bold, quality storytelling” and much made about how the merger will not rewrite history, but rather equip “these iconic studios with a more powerful engine.”
Preserving Identity
Surprisingly, the new name choice is also being billed as a way to keep the distinct identities and legacies behind both studios, letting both live on as brands under the Skydance umbrella. It’s not entirely clear how exactly reducing them to brand level will do that, and will likely not woo those who still have trepidations about the merger.
There’s also concern that, despite the terms of the antitrust settlement that cleared the last hurdle to the merger, we will still see massive job loss as the two studios combine. Especially considering that both companies have duplicate assets- two streaming platforms, two studios, and plenty of shared news and cable/broadcast stations. However, at least it has been confirmed that they will have to meet their promised 30 theatrical releases a year, at pain of fines.
For many, this merger will be bittersweet, and the loss of two more of Hollywood’s iconic “big names.” But, for now at least, let’s hope to see something better rise from them coming together.
