Skydance founder David Ellison has taken over as chairman and CEO of Paramount after the 2 firms merged in August, and is rapidly shaping the brand new conglomerate in his imaginative and prescient. In accordance with a report from Selection, a part of this shakeup features a onerous line on what the corporate deems as antisemitism, with sources saying Paramount maintains a do-not-hire listing for expertise considered as “overtly antisemitic.”
This stance doesn’t come out of left discipline, as Paramount was the primary main studio to publicly denounce a celeb open letter signed by 1000’s of movie and TV trade staff pledging to boycott Israeli movie establishments they thought of “complicit” with the “genocide and apartheid in opposition to the Palestinian folks.”
In a press release from chief communications officer Melissa Zukerman, Paramount stated, “Silencing particular person inventive artists based mostly on their nationality doesn’t promote higher understanding or advance the reason for peace… We’d like extra engagement and communication — not much less.”
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Selection stories that it’s unclear whether or not Paramount’s do-not-hire listing contains the letter’s 5,000-plus signatories or is targeted on the pledge’s organizers. Sources stated the listing covers “overtly antisemitic” conduct, in addition to “xenophobic” and “homophobic” conduct.
Ellison’s father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, has shut ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has made substantial donations to Mates of the IDF. Just lately appointed CBS Information editor-in-chief Bari Weiss can be a vocal Israel supporter, with workers sources telling Selection that an October spherical of layoffs “conspicuously” impacted some reporters with an “anti-Israel bent.” Nevertheless, Paramount sources disputed political or gender motivations for the cuts.
Different sources expressed concern that the studio’s content material may skew extra outwardly conservative as Paramount cultivates nearer ties to the Trump administration.
All of this comes as David Ellison pushes for “extra content material” by increasing Paramount’s theatrical slate from eight movies per yr to fifteen by 2026, 17 by 2027, and 18 by 2028.
The Ellisons aren’t finished making enterprise strikes, both, as they’ve been circling a possible acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. If that buy involves fruition, Paramount’s alleged do-not-hire listing would have an excellent wider attain throughout Hollywood.
