Hollywood
Angry Birds movie gets two directors
MUMBAI: The popular phone game is all set to be made into a feature film and directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly. It will be based on the game by Rovio Entertainment.
Kaytis has an experience of 19 years and has recently worked on the animation Tangled as well as Wreck-It Ralph. The upcoming Frozen also has his name to the list.
Reily has been with Sony for nearly 10 years and has served as storyboard artist on the likes of Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs as well as its sequel. He was also head of story at Sony Pictures Animation.
It will be a directorial debut for both of them as well as the first feature for Rovio. It is producing the pic in-house.
John Cohen is producing it along with Catherine Winder while David Maisel is executive producing. Jon Vitti is writing the script.
Hollywood
WBD sets April 23 vote on $110bn Paramount Skydance merger
Investor approval key step, but regulators loom over mega media deal
NEW YORK: Warner Bros. Discovery has set April 23 as the date for shareholders to vote on its proposed $110 billion merger with Paramount Skydance, marking a crucial step in one of the biggest media deals in recent years.
The all-cash transaction offers WBD shareholders $31 per share, a hefty 147 per cent premium to its unaffected stock price, signalling strong intent to push the deal across the finish line. The company’s board has unanimously backed the merger and is urging investors to vote in favour.
Even if shareholders give the green light, the deal is far from done. Regulators in the United States and Europe are expected to scrutinise the merger closely, weighing concerns around competition and potential price impacts for consumers.
To keep investors on side, WBD has built in a safety net. If the deal is not completed by September 30, shareholders will receive a quarterly “ticking fee” of $0.25 per share until closure.
The proposed merger would significantly reshape the media landscape, combining the assets of Warner Bros. Discovery with those linked to Paramount Global and Skydance Media. It would also cement the growing influence of David Ellison, who has been steering Skydance’s aggressive expansion strategy.
“The WBD Board has been guided by the singular principle of securing a transaction that maximises the value of our iconic assets and delivers as much certainty as possible to our shareholders,” said Warner Bros. Discovery board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr.. “This historic transaction will expand consumer choice and create new opportunities for creative talent.”
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav added that the company is working closely with its counterpart to close the deal and unlock value for stakeholders.
With investor backing likely but regulatory hurdles ahead, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining moment for the global entertainment industry, where scale, content and competition are increasingly intertwined.
