Hollywood
Hugh Grant returns to romcom with ‘The Rewrite’
MUMBAI: After a gap of five years, Hugh Grant is making a return to romantic comedies with The Rewrite.
Written and directed by Marc Lawrence, the movie also stars Marisa Tomei, Allison Janney, JK Simmons and Chris Elliott.
In the new comedy, the British actor plays a screenwriter whose Hollywood career peaked in late 80s. Now divorced and broke, he reluctantly accepts a teaching job at an American university.
Marisa Tomei co-stars as one of his students (Holly), who isn’t impressed by the level of commitment that the professor is putting forth. Holly is a single mother who’s taking classes to earn her degree. Meanwhile, Keith gets himself caught in a web of lies involving Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling.
This is Lawrence’s fourth collaboration with Grant after Did You Hear about the Morgans?, Music and Lyrics, and Two Weeks Notice.
The Rewrite is Grant’s first romcom since 2009’s Did You Hear About the Morgans? In the meantime, Grant voiced The Pirate Captain in Aardman’s high-seas stop-motion adventure The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, and also appeared in the film adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas in a variety of roles including a nuclear power plant boss, an elderly care home escapee, and a vicious futuristic cannibal tribesman.
The movie is slated to hit theaters on 8 October in the UK, but no US release date has been announced yet.
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.
