David Ellison stated that once the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery is completed, the new group will be called Skydance.
In August 2025, Ellison's Skydance completed its acquisition of Paramount. Just weeks later, the chief executive set his sights on Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ellison said in a social media post that adopting the new company name would preserve the identities of Paramount and Warner Bros. as standalone studios.
On December 7, 2025, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison appeared on the red carpet for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.
Paramount Skydance Corp (ASX: PSKY) CEO David Ellison announced on Friday that after completing the merger transaction with Warner Bros. Discovery next week, the combined entity will be named Skydance. Over the past 18 months, the company has completed two major acquisitions in succession, and this renaming marks a complete milestone in its development.
Ellison wrote in a post on X on Friday: "Paramount and Warner Bros. have shaped popular culture for more than a century. By bringing these two companies together, we are not rewriting history, but equipping these two iconic studios with a more powerful engine for growth. After the merger, we are Skydance: a home for creativity-first, bold, premium storytelling."
Ellison pointed out that the new group name will allow Paramount and Warner Bros. to remain as separate studios. "We absolutely do not want a brand-new corporate brand to diminish, alter, or overshadow the brilliance of either studio," he said. "On the contrary, we want this name to give the combined group its own distinct identity, while keeping Paramount, Warner Bros., and all our outstanding brands in the spotlight."
According to Rentrak data, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures together plan to release 35 films next year. In August 2025, Skydance, the production company behind the Mission: Impossible series and Top Gun: Maverick, completed its acquisition of Paramount. Just weeks later, Ellison set his sights on Warner Bros. Discovery, launching the acquisition process and ultimately bringing about this blockbuster deal.
In February of this year, Paramount Skydance Corp (ASX: PSKY) and Warner Bros. Discovery (ASX: WBD) announced the transaction, valuing the company at approximately $110 billion. After lawsuits were filed by multiple state attorneys general, Paramount-Skydance said this week that the deal is expected to close on Tuesday. After the transaction is completed, Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, the outgoing CEO of Mattel, will serve as co-chief executives.