Hollywood
‘Back to the Future’ to return after three decades
NEW DELHI: The film Back to the Future will mark its 30th anniversary next May in a manner that will make it sound like new.
Select concert venues will present Robert Zemeckis’s time-jumping blockbuster along with a live orchestra performing Alan Silvestri’s memorable score in sync with the film.
The film made in 1985 showed how a young man is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown, and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence.
The classic was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale and starred Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Lea Thompson in lead roles.
The world premiere of the live-music cinematic event—a joint collaboration between Universal, IMG Artists, and the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency—will be performed by the 21st Century Orchestra in Lucerne, Switzerland in late May.
Alan Silvestri, who worked with Zemeckis on 14 movies, is also writing 15 minutes of new music for the film that will be performed exclusively at these anniversary screenings.
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.
