Hollywood
Harrison Ford to star in ‘Blade Runner’ sequel
MUMBAI: Harrison Ford is up and ready to star in the sequel to Blade Runner. He will reprise his role as Rick Deckard in the upcoming movie Prisoners. The director Denis Villeneuve is in talks to helm the Alcon Entertainment film.
The film is scheduled to start principle photography in the summer of 2016. Hampton Fancher (who co-wrote the original) and Michael Green have written the screenplay, which is based on an idea from Fancher and Ridley Scott.
The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original, which centered on a man (Ford) working as a blade runner who was tasked with chasing down machines called replicants.
Alcon Entertainment acquired the rights to Blade Runner in 2011 with the intention of making both prequels and sequels to the iconic science-fiction thriller. Bud Yorkin will serve as a producer on the sequel along with Alcon co-founders Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson.
Thunderbird Films CEOs Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble will serve as executive producers.
Villeneuve most recently directed the crime thriller Sicario, staring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. He also directed Canada’s Oscar-nominated French-language film Incendies and Prisoners, staring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Ford will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Age of Adaline and will reprise his role as Han Solo in Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
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.
