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James Cameron and Ari Emanuel support Skydance bid for Paramount, but end of exclusivity puts Sony in focus

by The Curator

Updated June 02, 2025

James Cameron and Ari Emanuel support Skydance bid for Paramount, but end of exclusivity puts Sony in focus

Skydance Media, David Ellison’s company, has had the public backing of Hollywood ‘big-shots’ James Cameron and Ari Emanuel, as its takeover pursuit of Paramount is becoming more competitive.

The exclusivity period previously granted for Skydance’s negotiations with Paramount has now ended without a deal being agreed.

Meanwhile, this week Sony Pictures surfaced a straightforward cash offer worth $26 billion to rival the Skydance proposal.

Evidently, more twists and turns lie ahead.

The end of the Skydance exclusivity follows months of discussions centered on a merger that would have integrated Skydance with Paramount's extensive media assets, including notable franchises and television networks.

Despite the termination of exclusive talks, Paramount is still considering Skydance's proposals.

James Cameron, director of Titanic (one of Paramount’s most lucrative movies), put his support behind the Skydance proposals – commenting that David Ellison could be “a huge boon” for Paramount.

Whilst Hollywood’s top agent Ari Emanuel described Ellison as a “natural acquirer” of Paramount, and said that “everybody is in business with him — Amazon, Netflix, Apple, Paramount and Disney all have a good relationship with David.”

Elsewhere, the offer from Sony and Apollo is an all-cash bid, which makes is a substantial and financially attractive proposal for the Paramount board to consider.

It’s important to note that the deal landscape is complicated by regulatory considerations that may challenge the acquisition, due to the implications of foreign ownership and market consolidation.