The guessing game is over: after months of “WarnaMount” and “ParaBros” jokes, the combined Warner Bros. and Paramount has a real name.
David Ellison revealed Friday that the merged company will be known as Skydance, sharing the news in a post on X alongside a launch video showcasing the combined content library. The $110 billion merger is projected to close Tuesday, capping a year-long pursuit by Ellison that was delayed two months by antitrust scrutiny.
The name threads a legal needle. The deal settled an antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America with a five-year consent decree that keeps the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery operations separated in several business areas and guards against either historic studio being dissolved. A name favoring one merger partner over the other could have been a problem, which makes the neutral Skydance banner, drawn from Ellison’s own 2006 production company, a neat solution. One casualty: the Discovery name, in lights since the cable network launched, disappears.
The leadership picture is coming into focus quickly. Ellison will serve as chairman and CEO, with former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz joining as co-CEO to run day-to-day management and the integration. On the film side, Paramount’s motion picture co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are poised to run the combined studio unit, a move that likely ends the Warner Bros. tenure of Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who were never contracted to report to other film chiefs. HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys will head streaming for the combined company as Paramount’s Cindy Holland departs, while Mark Thompson stays on to oversee CNN.
The combined slate is formidable: roughly 71 dated features through 2028, with the new company inheriting the $4.37 billion global 2025 Warner Bros. slate and an awards shelf holding Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, Sinners and Weapons. This year’s holiday season could bring a $1 billion swing with Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Dune: Part Three. Year to date, the two studios’ combined domestic box office stands at $878.2 million.
For viewers, the new Skydance puts HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, CBS, CNN, Nickelodeon, DC Studios and Cartoon Network under one roof. What that means for subscriptions, bundles and the shows themselves is the next chapter, and it starts Tuesday.