Paramount threatens California exit over antitrust lawsuit

Paramount CEO David Ellison has issued a stark warning: the studio could relocate from California if a looming antitrust lawsuit is not resolved by the end of September. Ellison informed senior executives that the board of Paramount Skydance has already approved the move, which would commence on October 1, according to Variety.

The executive's ultimatum is tied to an antitrust lawsuit filed by 12 states. Ellison has indicated that he will pull Paramount's operations out of California unless the state's Attorney General, Rob Bonta, agrees to negotiate a settlement before the September 30 deadline. While a new location has not been finalized, potential sites include Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee.

In response to Ellison's threat, Bonta took to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to label the executive's stance as "another attempt to blackmail the state." Bonta asserted that such tactics would not be effective. The standoff highlights a significant tension between the state's legal actions and the studio's business interests, with the future of Paramount's California presence hanging in the balance.

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Another attempt to blackmail the state. They won't work.