Hollywood
BBC Films, Shine Pictures acquire film rights to ‘The Farm’
MUMBAI: BBC Films and Shine Pictures, the film division of Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group, have bought the rights to psychological thriller The Farm, the latest novel penned by Tom Rob Smith.
Smith’s latest book is set in London and Sweden and tells the tale of a boy who believes his parents are living a peaceful life on a farm in rural Sweden. He gets a call from his father telling him his mother has escaped from a mental hospital shortly after being committed. Then his mother calls and asks him to allow her to give her side of the story.
It will be produced by Shine’s head of film, Ollie Madden, with Christine Langan exec producing for BBC Films.
Smith’s Child 44 trilogy has sold more than four million copies worldwide, the first of which has been made as a film directed by Daniel Espinosa starring Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace. It is due for release this year.
Smith also created the five-part BBC-backed miniseries London Spy, which will air in 2015.
Shine Pictures and the public broadcaster’s movie division previously worked together on Salmon Fishing In the Yemen.
Hollywood
Paramount Skydance secures financing for Warner Bros Discovery deal
Debt syndication and new loans push $111 billion merger closer to close
WASHINGTON: Paramount Skydance has taken a major step towards its planned acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, securing fresh financing and completing the syndication of its bridge loan facility.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company confirmed that the bridge facility has now been distributed among a group of 18 banks, reducing total commitments to $49 billion from an earlier $54 billion. The move spreads risk across lenders and signals growing confidence in one of the year’s largest media deals.
Alongside this, the company has finalised permanent financing arrangements, including $5 billion in senior term loans and a $5 billion revolving credit facility. A previously planned $3.5 billion credit line has been dropped as part of the restructuring.
The loans are secured against key assets, including Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros post-merger, underlining the scale and complexity of the transaction.
The financing push follows a competitive bidding process earlier this year, which saw interest from players such as Netflix before Paramount Skydance emerged as the frontrunner. The deal, valued at $111 billion, is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approvals.
Adding to the momentum, the company has also secured significant equity backing, including investments from Middle Eastern funds, with support from billionaire Larry Ellison, who has guaranteed the equity portion of the transaction.
Commenting on the development, Paramount Skydance chief strategy officer Andy Gordon said, “Our successful debt syndication and new debt facilities represent another important milestone towards the completion of our acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.”
Once completed, the combined entity is expected to carry net debt of just under $80 billion, reflecting the sheer scale of the merger.
As Hollywood continues to consolidate in the streaming era, this deal could reshape the competitive landscape, with Paramount Skydance betting big on scale, content and financial muscle to take on global rivals.
