The danger zone is calling — again. It’s been announced that “Top Gun 3” is officially in the works.
Paramount broke the good news at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, confirming that Tom Cruise will be back in a leading role. Jerry Bruckheimer is also on board as producer.
Josh Greenstein, co-head of Paramount Pictures, said it’s “officially in development with a script underway.”
Cruise did not appear live at the industry event, but footage aired in the convention hall showed the actor standing on tip of the water tower on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles.
“The future looks pretty great from here,” Cruise can be heard <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/top-gun-3-script-underway-tom-cruise-1236566290/">saying</a> in the clip.
This comes as no surprise after the massive success of “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022. Despite a gap of 36 years between the first “Top Gun” (1986) and the sequel, it became an absolute box office smash and the most lucrative film of actor Tom Cruise’s long and successful career.
“Maverick” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paramount-is-working-on-top-gun-3-with-tom-cruise-report?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Paramount+Is+Working+On+%E2%80%98Top+Gun+3%E2%80%99+With+Tom+Cruise%3A+Report">earned</a> a whopping $1.49 billion at the global box office. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won Best Sound.
It was also named the Best Film of 2022 by the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. “Maverick” was rated 96% certified fresh from critics out of nearly 500 reviews and achieved a near-perfect 99% fresh audience score.
It’s believed that one reason the “Top Gun” sequel performed so well is that it was free from radical progressive messaging and virtue signaling. The action film recalled a simpler time in Hollywood, when movies were made to inspire and entertain rather than to push an agenda.
The Federalist called the “Top Gun” sequel “unabashedly patriotic” and “free of token left-wing social and political propaganda.” Reviewer Elle Reynolds wrote, “The only agenda being pushed is that America is the best country in the world and the men and women who risk their lives to defend her are heroes worthy of our respect.”
Another surprising detail about the sequel is how it appealed to a range of audiences, both young and old.

Tom Cruise

Itching For More ‘Top Gun’? A Major Update On Maverick’s Return

Entertainment

Movies

Paramount

Top Gun

U.S.

More than 1,000 celebrities, many of whom are overwhelmingly leftist, expressed their “unequivocal opposition” to the upcoming merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount.
Actors Bryan Cranston, Alyssa Milano, Cynthia Nixon, Jane Fonda, Kathy Griffin, Rosie O’Donnell, Glenn Close, Ben Stiller, Don Cheadle, Jason Bateman, and Ted Danson added their names to the letter, along with big-name directors like J.J. Abrams, David Chase, and Denis Villeneuve.
“This transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries — and the audiences we serve — can least afford it,” the <a href="https://blockthemerger.com/openletter">letter</a> says. “The result will be fewer opportunities for creators, fewer jobs across the production ecosystem, higher costs, and less choice for audiences in the United States and around the world. Alarmingly, this merger would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to just four.”
It goes on, “We are deeply concerned by indications of support for this merger that prioritize the interests of a small group of powerful stakeholders over the broader public good. The integrity, independence, and diversity of our industry would be grievously compromised.”
The letter ends with a call to action, namely that California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other regulators block the deal.
Paramount released a <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/04/paramount-warner-bros-merger-creatives-letter-1236859235/">response</a> Monday morning. They promised to “create a company that can greenlight more projects, back bold ideas, support talent across multiple stages of their careers, and bring stories to audiences at a truly global scale.”
“We hear and understand the concerns that some in our creative community have raised and respect the commitment to protecting and expanding creativity,” their letter states. 
“We understand the concerns raised as a result of the disruptions caused to our industry by COVID, entry of big-tech, and changes in consumer behavior, but we promise this: Paramount remains deeply committed to talent, and this merger strengthens both consumer choice and competition, creating greater opportunities for creators, audiences, and the communities they live and work in.”
Warner Bros. agreed in December to an $82.7 billion deal with Netflix. Paramount responded with several hostile takeover bids over the following months, culminating in a surprise twist as the streaming giant bowed out in February.
“… this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” Sarandos and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in a statement at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-backs-down-in-fight-for-warner-bros-leaving-paramount-inches-from-victory">reported</a>.

Woke Hollywood Stars Rally To Kill Major Studio Deal

Celebrities

Hollywood

Warner Bros

The unpopular spinoff series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” has been canceled after airing just one season, per <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/star-trek-starfleet-academy-canceled-season-2-1236696816/">Variety</a>.
The show was picked up by Paramount+ in 2023 and was renewed for a second season before the first one premiered, the outlet noted. “Starfleet Academy” earned high praise from critics but was largely trashed by the audience, in part due to its outlandish leftist elements.
This included the first-ever gay Klingon in “Star Trek” history and a drag queen, among other elements that made it off-the-charts woke. 
Unsurprisingly, the series never gained traction and failed to capture the audience it needed to survive. Variety noted that “Starfleet Academy” never cracked Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings during its debut season earlier this year. The second season is already filmed and will be released on an undisclosed date.
“People hated it because it was an attempt to shove more woke nonsense down our throats. It takes a special kind of stupid to ruin Star Trek,” one commenter on X <a href="https://x.com/h2av8tor/status/2036280551137747082">wrote</a> in response to the cancellation news.
“Damn, they managed to check all of the woke boxes, which of course creates a show few people will want to watch. And no, it&#8217;s not because people are racists or don&#8217;t like gay people, it&#8217;s because these types of shows are contrived, preachy, and insult the intelligence of millions of viewers. Why anyone invests in this garbage is beyond me,” a second person agreed.
Even some leftists said it was terrible. 
“I&#8217;m a dirty woke liberal and I didn&#8217;t watch it/am glad it&#8217;s dead for one simple reason: It&#8217;s just not Trek,” another reply <a href="https://x.com/isthisnessicary/status/2036444933658198431">said</a>. “Trek has always been woke: first interracial kiss, the right/left black side racists, Riker and Soren, Measure of a Man. The fact that it&#8217;s ‘luxury gay space communism.’”
Series co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau reacted to the cancellation with an open letter. 
“Whether you’re working on ‘Star Trek’ or part of the marvel that is ‘Star Trek’ fandom — its very heart, soul, and conscience —the joy comes from adventuring across boundaries of time, space, and the humanly possible in service to Roddenberry’s transformative vision of the future,” they wrote in part. 
“That incomparable vision was fueled by an inexhaustible optimism. ‘Star Trek’ places its bet on the best in human nature. It dares to imagine a society of ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations,’ free of war, hate, poverty, disease, and repression, and dedicated to the spirit of scientific inquiry and respect for all life, whether carbon or silicon-based, green-skinned or blue.”
CBS Studios and Paramount+ also released a joint statement. “We’re incredibly proud of the ambition, passion, and creativity that went into bringing ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ to life,” it said. 
“The series introduced audiences to a bold new group of characters, welcomed familiar faces, and expanded the ‘Star Trek’ universe in exciting new ways. We’re grateful to Alex Kurtzman, Noga Landau, Gaia Violo, and the entire cast and crew who pushed storytelling boundaries in the spirit of Gene Roddenberry’s vision. We look forward to sharing the upcoming second and final season with everyone, and continuing to celebrate the cast, crew, and all that was accomplished with this series.”

Starfleet Academy

Another Ultra-Woke Spinoff Series Just Got Canceled

Star Trek

Television

Wokeness

Spend five minutes on social media and you might think the conservative movement is falling apart.
Republicans are arguing about a lot these days, from foreign policy to strategy for the next election.
Healthy debate is part of politics. But while those arguments dominate the headlines, something far more significant is happening quietly in the background.
Conservatives are starting to win the culture war again.
And the recent collapse of the proposed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal</a> is a perfect example.
Netflix <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-taps-bank-explore-bid-warner-bros-discovery-2025-10-30/">sought</a> to absorb the company, which would have created an even larger streaming giant with massive influence over what Americans watch and, increasingly, what messages they are expected to absorb.
Hollywood and the streaming industry no longer just produce entertainment. They shape culture. They shape narratives. And for years, many of these institutions have leaned heavily into progressive activism and the kind of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-asked-if-company-is-too-woke-says-it-will-cater-audience-2022-10-26/">“woke” messaging</a> that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">alienates</a> millions of Americans who simply want to enjoy a movie or television show without being lectured.
Then the political pressure began.
President Trump publicly opposed the merger. Conservative voices <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/03/senate-netflix-warner-bros-discovery-merger">raised concerns</a> about media consolidation and about expanding the power of cultural institutions that already lean heavily to the Left.
Suddenly, what looked like a routine corporate deal became something else entirely — a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-says-he-will-stay-out-netflix-paramount-fight-over-warner-bros-2026-02-05">cultural flashpoint.</a>
And in late February, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/warner-bros-signs-110-billion-deal-with-paramount-ends-bidding-war-with-netflix-2026-02-27/">the deal collapsed.</a>
Even more interesting is what happened next. Paramount, another bidder — backed by Larry Ellison, one of the most outspoken <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/business/factbox-oracle-chairman-larry-ellisons-history-of-support-for-trump-idUSKBN2652RV/">pro-Trump voices</a> in American business — stepped forward.
That’s not just a business development. It’s a signal.
For years, conservatives were told the culture war was unwinnable. Hollywood was too powerful. Silicon Valley was too dominant. Corporate America had permanently aligned itself with <a href="https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/corporate-america-is-caught-dei-ratchet-2025-02-21/">progressive politics</a>.
The message from the Left was simple: accept it.
But over the past few years, conservatives discovered something important: pressure works.
Bud Light learned that lesson the hard way. A <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">tone-deaf marketing campaign</a> sparked one of the most successful consumer boycotts in modern American history. Billions in market value evaporated and one of the country’s most recognizable brands suffered lasting damage.
Cracker Barrel experienced <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">similar backlash</a> when customers pushed back against progressive messaging that had little to do with serving breakfast.
Now Netflix is feeling that same pressure.
For years, corporate executives believed they could align openly with progressive activism without facing real consequences. Diversity bureaucracies <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/factbox-us-companies-drop-diversity-policies-after-trumps-order-2025-02-27">expanded</a>. Political messaging crept into advertising campaigns, entertainment content, as well as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-investors-reject-proposal-withdraw-hrcs-diversity-index-2025-03-20/">corporate statements</a>.
The assumption was that conservatives might complain, but they would keep buying the product.
That assumption is no longer safe.
Businesses respond to incentives. They always have.
When conservative consumers stay quiet, companies drift Left. When conservative consumers push back, companies suddenly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/bud-light-loses-top-us-beer-spot-after-mulvaney-ad-boycott-2023-06-14/">start reconsidering their strategy</a>.
The Biden years showed what happens when one side dominates the cultural conversation. Progressive activists shaped corporate messaging. DEI programs spread rapidly across major institutions. Hollywood and streaming companies increasingly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">reflected the worldview of a narrow ideological class</a> in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
How many culture-war victories did conservatives get during those years? Not many.
But elections change incentives. President Trump’s election sent a clear signal: the cultural dominance of the Left was no longer inevitable.
Corporate leaders began to realize that tens of millions of Americans were no longer willing to be dismissed or mocked by the cultural institutions that dominate entertainment and media.
Does this mean conservatives suddenly control Hollywood? Of course not. The entertainment industry will remain overwhelmingly liberal for the foreseeable future.
But the dynamic has changed.
For the first time in a long time, the cultural institutions that shape American entertainment are being <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disney-ceo-says-company-will-quiet-noise-culture-wars-analyst-2023-09-20/">forced to recognize</a> that half the country will no longer sit quietly while those institutions push politics into every corner of popular culture.
That recognition alone represents a major shift.
Conservatives win when they stay engaged. When they vote. When they speak up. And when they refuse to accept the idea that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2020/01/24/u-s-media-polarization-and-the-2020-election-a-nation-divided/">cultural power belongs exclusively to elites in Hollywood</a>, Manhattan, and Silicon Valley.
The culture war isn’t decided in one election or one corporate deal. It’s a long struggle over the values that shape American life.
But corporate America is beginning to understand something it ignored for years: pressure works.
Bud Light <a href="https://apnews.com/article/bud-light-anheuser-busch-inbev-earnings-46b6412f84b5e8884caea941fc069d2f">learned it.</a> Cracker Barrel <a href="https://apnews.com/article/cracker-barrel-logo-trump-8b496da282deef3d8d0618c3f9f4db46">learned it.</a> And now Netflix is learning it too.
* * *
Jason Chaffetz served as a member of the U.S. Congress from 2009 to 2017. He chaired the House Oversight Committee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Elon Musk Urges X Followers To Cancel Netflix Subscriptions Over Controversial Animated Show

The Lesson Corporate America Keeps Learning The Hard Way

Business

Conservatives

Corporations

Leftists

Netflix

Woke Culture

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos gave his first interview since the company pulled out of their deal to acquire Warner Bros., saying contrary to the rumors, it wasn’t President Trump’s influence that killed the merger.
The entertainment exec called the competing offer from Paramount “irrational” and claimed he had no regrets about how it all played out. Sarandos said it came down to having a set price amount they weren’t willing to go beyond and being outbid by David Ellison’s rival offer.
“We had a very tight range that we’d be willing to pay and made that offer back when we closed this deal,” Sarandos told Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg in an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-27/how-netflix-forced-paramount-to-cough-up-more-for-warner-bros?cmpid=screentime&amp;utm_campaign=screentime&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_term=260301&amp;embedded-checkout=true">interview</a> published Saturday. “I’m happy where we got in and happy where we got out.”
Rumors swirled that the Department of Justice may have influenced the breakdown, or that Trump himself may have had sway. But Sarandos said those narratives are false.
“I don’t know that there was growing political resistance,” the Netflix exec said. “It was a growing narrative of political resistance. But we were on a normal regulatory path. … This story has been fed out for everybody, but it’s just not accurate. We were not only involved with the DOJ, we were involved with 50 regulatory bodies around the world. These things have been going exactly the way they should.”
Sarandos told Shaw that Trump “stayed completely neutral on this.”
“The truth of it is, someone was going to lose it for a dollar,” Sarandos said of the deal. “And the quicker you accepted that, the better.”
Shaw described Paramount as being an “unusual other buyer,” which Sarandos agreed with.
“Unusual, yeah, unusual, irrational, whatever words you want to use in that,” he replied. “It’ll be fascinating to see the next steps. I have been on the record a lot in the last two weeks talking about what I think the future looks like. I’m confident in our future that we’re not impacted by all that. In fact, maybe it’s to our advantage. But I hope I’m wrong for the sake of the industry.”
Warner Bros. agreed in December to an $82.7 billion deal with Netflix. Paramount responded with several hostile takeover bids over the following months, culminating in a surprise twist as the streaming giant bowed out in February.
“&#8230;this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” Sarandos and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in a statement at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-backs-down-in-fight-for-warner-bros-leaving-paramount-inches-from-victory">reported</a>.

Ted Sarandos

Netflix CEO Sets Record Straight On Trump Rumors After Warner Bros. Deal Fizzles

In a stunning twist in the months-long war between Netflix and Paramount over which company would purchase Warner Bros., the streaming giant has <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-backs-out-warners-deal-paramount-win-1236516763/">bowed out</a>.
After Warner Bros. released a statement on Thursday saying that the company’s board of directors viewed Paramount’s latest offer as a “<a href="https://ir.wbd.com/news-and-events/financial-news/financial-news-details/2026/Warner-Bros--Discovery-Board-of-Directors-Determines-Revised-Proposal-from-Paramount-Skydance-Constitutes-a-Company-Superior-Proposal/default.aspx">superior proposal</a>,” and that Netflix had four days to respond, the streamer backed out of the bidding war.
&#8220;Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a &#8216;Company Superior Proposal,'&#8221; Warner Bros. stated in their <a href="https://ir.wbd.com/news-and-events/financial-news/financial-news-details/2026/Warner-Bros--Discovery-Board-of-Directors-Determines-Revised-Proposal-from-Paramount-Skydance-Constitutes-a-Company-Superior-Proposal/default.aspx">press release</a>.
Netflix Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters responded in a <a href="https://ir.netflix.net/investor-news-and-events/financial-releases/press-release-details/2026/Netflix-Declines-to-Raise-Offer-for-Warner-Bros-/default.aspx">statement</a> of their own.
“The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid,” Sarandos and Peters said.
The company heads added that they believe Netflix would have taken good care of the Warner Bros. IP (intellectual property) and “strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the U.S.”
“But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” they concluded.
Paramount’s most recent bid raised the per-share price to $31, and featured a ticking fee, which would have paid shareholders if the deal took too long to come to fruition. Additionally, the company offered a $7 billion breakup fee, which would be paid if the deal were to fall through due to regulatory issues, and a nearly $3 billion fee that Warner Bros. owes Netflix as a result of their prior deal not materializing.
Netflix’s last offer was valued at $82.7 billion, and was aimed at purchasing Warner Bros.’ film and streaming divisions (HBO Max), as well as DC Comics. Paramount, on the other hand, would be purchasing all of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its linear and cable TV networks.
There has been much consternation in Hollywood, especially following the Disney-Fox acquisition, over the Warner Bros. bidding war, with many in the industry voicing concerns that further media consolidation would do irreparable damage to the movie and TV business, with lost jobs and fewer options for creatives.
Though neither company (Paramount or Netflix) were favored by those in the industry, Netflix was viewed with a particularly skeptical eye as some questioned the streaming giant’s commitment to the theatrical experience. Others view Paramount CEO David Ellison&#8217;s apparently close relationship with the Trump administration as a reason for pause.

There’s A Winner In The Netflix/Paramount Bidding War

Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy organization for women, is urging the Justice Department to block Netflix’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The organization shared a copy of the letter exclusively with The Daily Wire on Thursday morning. It raises concerns about Netflix’s transparency with families and a lack of clarity in how it applies age-based ratings and content disclosures to programs marketed to children.
The letter from CWA also argued that the proposed merger “threatened competition and the public interest.” 
It pointed out that television viewership has changed and said streaming platforms have enormous sway over the viewing public, but are at the same time less regulated.
“By absorbing Warner Brothers’ extensive content library and distribution assets, Netflix would surpass the 30% market share threshold, making it a presumptive monopoly, and giving it unprecedented dominance in the streaming ecosystem,” the letter says. “Allowing such consolidation would reduce competition, harm consumers, and create a structural imbalance that would be exceptionally difficult to reverse, especially in view of the absence of a dedicated regulatory authority for streaming.”
CWA President and CEO Penny Nance wrote in the letter that Netflix has been notoriously vague about content marketed to children. The organization cited a December study finding that one-third of all Netflix shows rated for children include LGBT characters, themes, or messaging, with that percentage jumping to 41% for TV-G and TV-Y7 categories, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/preschool-propaganda-study-finds-41-of-netflix-kids-shows-include-lgbt-themes">reported</a>.
Nance argued that if the Justice Department did not block the merger, it should, at a minimum, “secure concrete, enforceable commitments and publish clear public‑interest expectations for streaming platforms,” including third-party ratings, clearer content labels, including for LGBT material, enhanced child-protective settings, and frequent audits.
In a written statement to The Daily Wire, Nance said she does not believe a potential acquisition involving Paramount would raise the same concerns as the proposed Netflix deal.
&#8220;Our concerns with Netflix stem mainly from its lack of transparency around content ratings, given that children&#8217;s programming has a large amount of LGBTQ content that is not disclosed to parents,” Nance said. “Paramount does not wield the same market influence as Netflix. The DOJ must reject Netflix&#8217;s bid for Warner Bros.”
Warner Bros. agreed in December to an $82.7 billion deal with Netflix. Since then, Paramount has submitted several hostile takeover bids in an effort to block the agreement, though none have succeeded.
Warner Bros. Discovery is <a href="https://www.wbd.com/news/warner-bros-discovery-board-directors-determines-revised-proposal-paramount-skydance-could">currently reviewing</a> Paramount Skydance&#8217;s latest offer: $31-per-share cash. It includes a $7 billion regulatory termination fee and coverage of their $2.8 billion breakup fee with Netflix.

Entertainment Industry Workers Vote To Strike, Threatening Hollywood Productions

Conservative Women Expose Netflix Kids Content – How The Trump Admin Could Step In

Warner Bros Discovery is considering reopening sale talks with rival Hollywood studio Paramount Skydance after receiving its hostile suitor&#8217;s most recent amended offer, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Members of Warner Bros&#8217; board are discussing whether Paramount could offer the path to a superior deal, the Bloomberg report said, adding that the board has not decided how to respond and may stick to the current deal with Netflix.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Paramount, Warner Bros and Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.
Paramount had enhanced its Warner Bros bid last week by offering shareholders extra cash for each quarter the deal fails to close after this year. It also agreed to cover the breakup fee the HBO parent would owe Netflix if it walked away, even though the CBS owner did not raise its per-share offer.
Paramount said it has offered shareholders a 25-cent-per-share quarterly &#8220;ticking fee&#8221; (about $650 million) in cash starting in 2027 until closing and agreed to cover Warner Bros’ $2.8 billion breakup fee to Netflix. However, it did not raise its $30-per-share offer, valuing the deal at $108.4 billion including debt.
Both Netflix and Paramount covet Warner Bros for its leading film and television studios, extensive content library and major franchises such as &#8220;Game of Thrones,&#8221; &#8220;Harry Potter&#8221; and DC Comics superheroes Batman and Superman.
Activist investor Ancora Holdings, which has built a nearly $200 million stake, last week said it plans to oppose the Netflix deal, arguing the board did not sufficiently engage with Paramount over its rival bid, which includes cable assets like CNN and TNT.
(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)

In this photo illustration, the Warner Bros Discovery logo

Warner Bros Weighs Reopening Sale Talks With Paramount, Bloomberg Reports

Media

Cleveland-based wealth management firm Ancora Holdings, a company with a $200 million stake in Warner Bros, is reportedly urging the company to reconsider the acquisition offer from Paramount.
Warner Bros. accepted a massive deal from Netflix worth $82.7 billion, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros-in-massive-billion-dollar-deal">reported</a> in December. Paramount has since submitted a hostile takeover bid in an effort to subvert the Netflix deal. That all-cash offer, the sixth made by the entertainment company, included the acquisition of the entire business at $30 per share.
Now Ancora Holdings is weighing in, saying Warner Bros. failed to properly evaluate and consider the Paramount Bid, per <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/deals/activist-investor-pushes-warner-to-walk-away-from-netflix-deal-0bbe663e?mod=hp_lead_pos1">The Wall Street Journal</a>. The outlet noted that Ancora emailed Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav on Tuesday to say they were considering a proxy fight if the board failed to negotiate the best deal.
The WBD board “now has no choice but to deem Paramount’s amended offer as one that could reasonably be expected to result in a Superior Proposal, given Netflix’s presently inferior proposal and unaddressed regulatory issues. Once that happens, the Board could then engage in good faith with Paramount to maximize shareholder value, paving the way for WBD to secure an even higher offer. If the WBD Board refuses to do this, Ancora will vote “NO” on the inferior Netflix deal and seek to hold the WBD Board accountable,” the firm said in a <a href="https://ancora.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Ancora's+Case+for+Voting+%E2%80%9CNO%E2%80%9D+on+the+Currently+Proposed+Netflix-WBD+Merger.pdf">presentation</a>.
“The WBD Board opted to rush into a flawed deal with Netflix rather than earnestly pursue a superior offer from Paramount – in line with the directors’ fiduciary duties,” the presentation said.
While Ancora has less than 1% ownership, they are planning to continue buying shares and would potentially influence other shareholders.
“WBD’s experienced and independent Board and management team have a proven track record of acting in the best interests of the Company and shareholders – as evidenced by the extensive actions they have taken to unlock the full value of WBD’s unmatched portfolio of assets over the last year,” WBD said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We remain resolute in our commitment to maximize value for shareholders.”
Paramount revised its hostile offer this week to include paying the $2.8 billion termination fee Warner Bros. would owe Netflix if the deal were called off.
The original hostile takeover bid rejection was unanimous by the board, Warner Bros. previously stated.

Investor Urges Warner Bros. To Consider Paramount Deal, Reject Netflix

The newest “Star Trek” series is apparently so awful that it got the original Captain Kirk to see eye-to-eye with one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisers.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security adviser Stephen Miller responded to a brief clip of the new Paramount+ series &#8220;Star Trek: Starfleet Academy&#8221; in an X post, arguing that the only way for producers to save the show would be to give full creative control to actor William Shatner.
&#8220;Tragic. But it’s not too late for @paramountplus to save the franchise,&#8221; Miller said. &#8220;Step 1: Reconcile with @WilliamShatner and give him total creative control.&#8221;
Shatner <a href="https://x.com/WilliamShatner/status/2013275829464383866">responded</a> several days later, saying, &#8220;I am so on the same page with you @StephenM&lt;! The fact that they have not [cured] Hyperopia by the 32rd Century is an abysmal oversight on the writers!&#8221;
&#8220;Also @paramountplus needs to up the budget because I’m sure that a well oiled organization like Starfleet in the distant future could afford more than one pair of glasses for at least this hyperopic bridge crew,&#8221; Shatner continued, adding, &#8220;Do they pass the glasses around while piloting the ship? Shame on the line producers! That is what you meant, right?&#8221;
&#8220;I am ready to assume command of the series! Call me!&#8221; he concluded.
Shatner was written out of the franchise in the 1994 film &#8220;Star Trek: Generations&#8221; – a move he&#8217;s said was made because producers wanted to move on to solely using the &#8220;Star Trek: The Next Generation&#8221; cast led by British actor Patrick Stewart&#8217;s Jean-Luc Picard.
Shatner said that he was told before filming began for &#8220;Generations&#8221; that Captain Kirk was going to die in the film whether he participated or not – and so he opted for an onscreen death that allowed him a heroic exit.
&#8220;So the producer said, &#8216;We&#8217;re going to kill Kirk because we think that The Next Generation will make more money at the box office,'&#8221; he explained.
Three more movies followed with &#8220;The Next Generation&#8221; cast, and the series has since rebooted with three more films, starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk.

William Shatner

Paramount’s ‘Star Trek’ Series Is So Awful It Brought William Shatner And Stephen Miller Together

Stephen Miller

Star trek starfleet

Woke TV Is Back With A Vengeance In This New Paramount Show

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Warner Bros. Discovery has formally rejected the hostile takeover bid from Paramount amid their merger deal with Netflix, dubbing the proposed terms “inferior” to the Netflix partnership.
“Your Board negotiated a merger with Netflix that maximizes value while mitigating downside risks, and we unanimously believe the Netflix merger is in your best interest. We are focused on advancing the Netflix merger to deliver its compelling value to you,” the board wrote in a letter to shareholders Wednesday morning, per <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-rejects-paramount-skydance-ellison-latest-takeover-offer-1236624282/">Variety</a>.
The letter further stated that the Paramount offer “is not more favorable to WBD stockholders than the Netflix Merger and continues to be inadequate,” because of “insufficient value, taking into account price and numerous risks, costs and uncertainties.” 
The decision to reject the bid was said to be unanimous. This was the sixth offer made and rejected by Paramount.
“The Offer is entirely at [Paramount]’s discretion – [Paramount] can reduce the price, impose new conditions, or walk away entirely at any time prior to its acceptance of tendered shares,” Warner Bros. said of the proposal.
Paramount announced their latest bid days after the Netflix deal was announced in December.
“We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood. It is in the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theater industry,” Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said in a statement at the time, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/paramount-launches-hostile-takeover-bid-for-warner-bros-days-after-netflix-deal-announced?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Paramount+Launches+Hostile+Takeover+Bid+For+Warner+Bros.+Days+After+Netflix+Deal+Announced">reported</a>. 
“We believe they will benefit from the enhanced competition, higher content spend and theatrical release output, and a greater number of movies in theaters as a result of our proposed transaction.”
President Trump remarked on the Netflix deal in December, saying it “could be a problem” from an antitrust standpoint. The president also mentioned being “involved” in reviewing the deal. The proposed merger has had bipartisan pushback from skeptics who warn it could turn into a “nightmare” for consumers and creatives. 
Many critics also worry that it could destroy the theater industry, as rumors persist that Netflix will push for a shorter theatrical release window for major films. Per <a href="https://www.avclub.com/netflix-warner-bros-17-day-theatrical-amc">reports</a>, the timing could be shortened to as little as 17 days, drastically reducing the industry standard of a 30 to 45-day delay before movies arrive on streaming services.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Rejects ‘Inferior’ Paramount Hostile Takeover Bid, Chooses Netflix

Warner Bros. Rejects 'Inferior' Paramount Hostile Takeover Bid, Chooses Netflix

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