Hollywood
Seth Gordon to direct video game adaptation of Uncharted
MUMBAI: The long-awaited live action film adaptation of the hugely popular and award winning video game series, Uncharted may finally see the light of day.
According to reports, Sony Pictures is in talks with Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon to helm Uncharted, a live-action adaptation of the PlayStation videogame series Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune with a script by David Guggenheim (Safe House, Bad Boys 3) and produced by Charles Roven (The Dark Knight trilogy), Avi Arad (Iron Man series) and Alex Gartner (Get Smart).
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the first one in the series, follows the journey of protagonist Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he seeks the lost treasure of El Dorado, with the help of journalist Elena Fisher and mentor Victor Sullivan. Drake’s search for El Dorado becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the hunt, and then the plot takes a crazy turn when creatures begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure’s true secrets.
If finalised, Seth Gordon will be the third director to be attached to the project along with David O. Russel (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) and Neil Burger (Divergent).
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.
