Hollywood
Hugh Grant gives details on his new rom-com at SIFF
MUMBAI: British actor Hugh Grant addressed the Shanghai International Film Festival press contingent on 15 June about his latest movie The Rewrite. Grant plays the role of a screenwriter in the Marc Lawrence-directed movie which will be screened at this year’s festival.
The Rewrite is the story of a screenwriter named Keith Michaels who at one time was very successful and won a Golden Globe. His career is in a terrible place after 15 years and he ends up teaching in a university in New York.
There he meets Holly, a single mom with two jobs, trying to earn her bachelor’s degree. She helps to change his attitude towards teaching. “It’s not exactly a romantic comedy,” Grant said at the contingent. “There is romance, and it certainly is a comedy, but I would say its closer to About A Boy. It’s really about a man who seems completely lost and who discovers a new life.”
Grant has starred in three other films directed by Lawrence, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, Music & Lyrics and Two Weeks Notice. Grant is popular with movie fans in China for his roles in romantic comedies like Love Actually, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and more.
Grant won a Golden Globe Award for his role in Four Weddings and a Funeral.
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.
