Hollywood
RLJ Entertainment acquires Nicolas Cage’s thriller ‘Pay The Ghost’
MUMBAI: RLJ Entertainment, Inc. has acquired all US rights to the thriller Pay The Ghost.
Written by Dan Kay and directed by Uli Edel, Pay The Ghost stars Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies.
The film will be released in theaters and VOD on 23 September, 2015.
RLJ Entertainment chief acquisitions officer Mark Ward said, “The intense action and scares in PAY THE GHOST will have audiences on the edge of their seats. We can’t wait to get the film into theaters this September.”
One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Cole (Cage) is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife (Wayne Callies), he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son—and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.
Produced by Nicolas Chartier, Craig J. Flores, Ian Levy and Patrick Newall, the deal was negotiated by Voltage Pictures and Mark Ward and Grace Santos on behalf of RLJ Entertainment.
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.
