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

Paramount

Star Trek

Stephen Miller

U.S.

Wokeness

Star trek starfleet

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

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Entertainment

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Television

Woke Culture

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

Business

Hollywood

Netflix

Warner Bros

Warner Bros Discovery will likely reject Paramount Skydance&#8217;s amended $108.4 billion hostile bid for the storied Hollywood studio despite a personal guarantee from billionaire Larry Ellison backing the media giant&#8217;s offer, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The board has yet to make a final decision, but is expected to meet next week, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Warner Bros and Paramount declined to comment on the board&#8217;s position, reported earlier by CNBC.
The decision could keep Warner Bros on track to pursue a rival cash-and-stock deal with Netflix despite Paramount&#8217;s attempt to sweeten its offer.
Ellison, whose son David is chairman and CEO of Paramount, personally guaranteed the equity underpinning the bid, hoping to ease doubts that had dogged its earlier proposal.
The company did not increase its $30-per-share all-cash offer, but it raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to match Netflix and extended its tender offer deadline.
Netflix&#8217;s $82.7 billion offer, while lower in headline value, offers a clearer financing structure and fewer execution risks, analysts have said.
Under terms of that agreement, Warner Bros would face a $2.8 billion breakup fee if it walks away from the Netflix deal.
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Harris Oakmark, Warner Bros&#8217; fifth largest investor with 96 million shares, said the revised offer wasn&#8217;t &#8220;sufficient,&#8221; and noted that it was not enough to cover the breakup fee.
Paramount has argued its bid would face fewer regulatory obstacles. A combined Paramount-Warner Bros entity would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and merge two major television operators.
Warner Bros&#8217; board previously urged shareholders to reject Paramount&#8217;s $108.4 billion bid for the entire company, including its cable television assets, citing concerns over financing certainty and the absence of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.
Paramount has argued its offer is more market-proof than Netflix&#8217;s $82.7 billion proposal, whose value has fluctuated with Netflix&#8217;s share price.
Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about further consolidation in the media industry. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the landmark acquisition.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Dawn Kopecki, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Anil D&#8217;Silva and David Gregorio)

Warner Bros Likely To Reject Paramount’s Latest Hostile Bid, Source Says

Economy

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance&#8217;s latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix.
The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board&#8217;s doubts about Paramount&#8217;s financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix.
Here&#8217;s what analysts and market experts are saying about the latest development:
SETH SHAFER, PRINCIPAL ANALYST AT S&amp;P GLOBAL, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think the revised bid from Paramount Skydance significantly alters the current status quo. I doubt many WBD shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote &#8216;no&#8217; were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;re still likely months away from a shareholder vote on the Paramount offer and the planned closing date of the deal agreed with Netflix would be in the second half of 2026. There will likely be many more twists and turns ahead and both Paramount and Netflix have a chance.&#8221;
MICHAEL PACHTER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PLANNING AT WEDBUSH SECURITIES, CALIFORNIA
&#8220;The WBD Board rejected the last offer because they thought it was speculative and revocable. This one makes the offer irrevocable and directly addresses the Board&#8217;s concern.
&#8220;If the board is rational and ethical (a big if), it must accept the offer, since the $108 billion PSKY offered is more than the $83 billion offered by Netflix. We;ll see what the Board does, but PSKY is right to make this offer directly to them.&#8221;
&#8220;Yes, Paramount has a chance to win, approaching 100%&#8221;
ROSS BENES, SENIOR ANALYST AT EMARKETER, NEW YORK
&#8220;The updated offer from Paramount doesn&#8217;t change the fact that WBD&#8217;s executives prefer Netflix. The new offer does make Paramount&#8217;s case more compelling to the board and shareholders. But WBD executives will keep fighting to maintain the Netflix deal as long as they can. This battle will be prolonged.&#8221;
PAOLO PESCATORE, ANALYST AT PP FORESIGHT, LONDON
&#8220;Paramount remains in a precarious position and is making a last-ditch effort to avoid being left out in the shadows. It cannot afford to lose out and be a weaker player compared to its stronger rivals.&#8221;
&#8220;The improved offer is a step in the right direction, but it is unlikely to be enough.&#8221;
REUBEN MILLER, HEAD OF ANTITRUST AT DEALREPORTER, WASHINGTON DC
&#8220;The financing from the sovereign wealth funds opens a regulatory box that needs to be checked. Having these players involved will bring another dimension of scrutiny, as well as a big diplomatic question &#8211; how far will using money from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds bring them into partnership with one America&#8217;s cultural touchstones?&#8221;
&#8220;Paramount has claimed that any influence from the funds will be neutralised due to their lack of voting rights, but there are other questions at play which make the picture far murkier. Notably, the access of these funds, as key stakeholders, to WBD and Paramount&#8217;s data, as well as the wider diplomatic implications of foreign bodies having a vested stake in such a huge entity in U.S. media production and consumption.&#8221;
(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru, compiled by Arpan Varghese; Editing by Anil D&#8217;Silva)

In this photo illustration, the Warner Bros Discovery logo

Ellison Steps In With Personal Guarantee As Paramount Fights For Warner Bros

Antitrust

Movies

Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s board could announce a decision as early as Wednesday on Paramount Skydance&#8217;s $108.4 billion takeover bid, with the board likely to advise shareholders to vote against the offer, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The decision to recommit to Netflix&#8217;s buyout offer would mark the latest twist in the race for assets that include Warner Bros&#8217; storied film and TV studio, and its extensive film and television library, whose portfolio includes classics ranging from &#8220;Casablanca&#8221; and &#8220;Citizen Kane&#8221; to contemporary favorites like &#8220;Harry Potter&#8221; and &#8220;Friends,&#8221; HBO and the HBO Max streaming service.
A Warner Bros Discovery spokesman declined to comment.
The winner will gain a big advantage in the streaming wars by locking up a deep content library that has long been an acquisition target.
Netflix earlier this month emerged victorious with a $27 cash-and-stock bid for Warner Bros&#8217; non-cable assets.
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Paramount CEO David Ellison then went directly to Warner Bros&#8217; shareholders with a $30-a-share, all-cash bid for the whole company.
In regulatory filings, Paramount has said its bid is superior to Netflix&#8217;s offer and would enjoy a clearer path to regulatory approval. Its offer is financed by $41 billion in new equity, which is backed by the Ellison family and RedBird Capital, and $54 billion of debt commitments from Bank of America, Citi and Apollo.
Jared Kushner&#8217;s Affinity Partners, which was one of Paramount&#8217;s financing partners, is exiting the battle, according to Bloomberg.
Paramount and Affinity Partners did not immediately respond to Reuters&#8217; request for comment.
(Reporting by Milana Vinn in New York and Dawn Chmielewski in Los AngelesEditing by Ken Li, Dawn Kopecki and Nick Zieminski)

Warner Bros Likely To Reject $108.4 Billion Paramount Bid, Back Netflix In Bidding War, Sources Say

Media

Paramount announced on Monday that it was challenging Netflix with a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. 
The <a href="https://ir.paramount.com/news-releases/news-release-details/paramount-launches-all-cash-tender-offer-acquire-warner-bros">announcement</a> comes just days after Netflix said it had reached a deal to acquire the entertainment company in a massive $82.7 billion deal.
“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. “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.”
Ellison announced an all-cash tender offer, which the company said “provides superior value, and a more certain and quicker path to completion&#8221; to shareholders. Paramount&#8217;s proposed deal was also expected to close in 12 months, compared with Netflix&#8217;s 18 months.
The Paramount offer includes purchasing Warner Bros. cable television assets, which Paramount said are worth about $18 billion more than the Netflix bid. The company had previously made six offers to Warner Bros., only to be rejected each time. The press release noted that Warner Bros. &#8220;never engag[ed] meaningfully&#8221; with those offers.
This news comes not long after President Trump remarked on the Netflix deal, saying it “could be a problem” from an antitrust standpoint. The president also mentioned being “involved” in reviewing the deal.
Paramount CEO David Ellison is the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who is a friend of President Trump and a major donor.
The proposed merger has had bipartisan pushback from skeptics who warn it could turn into a “nightmare” for consumers and creatives, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflix-warner-bros-deal-faces-bipartisan-political-pushback?author=Reuters&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Netflix-Warner+Bros+Deal+Faces+Bipartisan+Political+Pushback">reported</a>. 
“Netflix built a great service, but increasing Netflix’s dominance this way would mean the end of the Golden Age of streaming for content creators and consumers,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote in a post on X.
“We’re highly confident in the regulatory process. This deal is pro-consumer, pro-innovation, pro-worker, it’s pro-creator, it’s pro-growth,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said after the deal was announced.

Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Warner Bros. Days After Netflix Deal Announced

Donald Trump

The popular “Rush Hour” film franchise will reportedly be resurrected at the request of President Donald Trump.
Paramount Pictures will distribute the fourth sequel of the action franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, as Deadline <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/11/rush-hour-4-paramount-release-brett-ratner-1236628468/">reported</a>. It’s believed that both lead actors will return to join director Brett Ratner, who was also in charge of previous installments. 
Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/11/23/2025/how-trump-is-trying-to-remake-american-culture-starting-with-rush-hour">reported</a> that Trump was instrumental in getting the project off the ground because he was a fan of the franchise. He reportedly spoke with Paramount head David Ellison about it. Ellison&#8217;s father, Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, has a close relationship with President Trump and operates behind the scenes at Paramount.
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&#8220;Trump appears to want to revive the raucous comedies and action movies of the late 1980s to late 1990s,&#8221; the outlet <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/11/23/2025/how-trump-is-trying-to-remake-american-culture-starting-with-rush-hour">reported</a>. &#8220;He’s passionate, for instance, about the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme sports flick &#8216;Bloodsport.&#8217; A person directly familiar with the conversations told Semafor that the president of the United States has personally pressed the Paramount owner to revive another franchise from Ratner: &#8216;Rush Hour,&#8217; a buddy-cop comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that blended physical comedy, martial arts and gags about racial stereotypes.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to Paramount and the White House for comment.
The big players in “Rush Hour” all have <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jackie-chan-on-trump-presidency-just-give-him-a-chance-004306732.html">previously</a> made positive <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/actor-chris-tucker-says-he-prays-for-trump-wants-him-to-be-great-president-227702/">remarks</a> about Trump, especially compared to most of TDS-infected Hollywood. Ratner directed a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/amazon-melania-trump-doc-release-date-1236396807/">documentary</a> about first lady Melania Trump which will be released in January. 
The “Rush Hour” franchise is a classic buddy cop action comedy series chronicling the chaotic adventures of LAPD Detective James Carter (Tucker) and Hong Kong Police Force Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) as they team up to take down international criminals. Their mismatched personalities, fun banter, and high-energy action sequences make them one of the most beloved pairings in the genre.
The first three “Rush Hour” films were huge hits, earning more than $850 million worldwide, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/25/trump-pushed-paramount-revive-rush-hour-4-reports-say.html">per</a> CNBC.
&nbsp;

Rush Hour

Trump Pushes For ‘Rush Hour’ Comeback — And Hollywood Delivers: Report

President Trump Pushes For ‘Rush Hour’ Comeback — And Hollywood Delivers: Report

Executive

The Left owns Hollywood lock, stock, and barrel. Or, to be more accurate, used to own.
New media rebels are finally giving the progressive monopoly some small but fiery competition. Think “The Joe Rogan Experience,” a contrarian podcast where alternative perspectives get millions of views across media platforms. Or a certain conservative outlet that produced the <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/amiracist/?gad_campaignid=21933436219&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAq7HIBhDoARIsAOATDxBm2hPQ6CcuV09hj6BwyoTy0cbj2esalZiZVU_F95kQ04U2iaLygZIaAsO6EALw_wcB&amp;utm_campaign=air&amp;utm_content=na_subscriptions&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_source=googlesearch">most popular documentary of the last decade.</a>
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter-turned-X struck another blow against the Left’s pop culture cartel. Still, the Left’s near stranglehold on the arts remains in place, leaving a David vs. Goliath battle in progress.
Enter David Ellison, a corporate titan with a small but mighty slingshot.
<div id="attachment_997647" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997647" class="size-large wp-image-997647" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239551629-866x576.jpg" alt="David Ellison, chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount Skydance Corp., during the Bloomberg Screentime event in Los Angeles, California, US, on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. Screentime gathers the moguls, celebrities, and entrepreneurs defining the next phase of pop culture to discuss and debate the future of Hollywood studios, the boom in sports and live music and the impact of AI on the creative industries. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239551629-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239551629-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239551629-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2239551629.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
The CEO of Skydance Media is now a major player in the entertainment space following his company’s acquisition of Paramount. And he could loom even larger should Skydance <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/david-ellisons-paramount-seen-front-runner-warner-bros-discovery-deal-2025-10-23/">add Warner Bros. Discovery</a> to its portfolio.
Ellison isn’t a number-crunching executive handing the creative side off to colleagues. His company’s biography says he “oversees the entire Skydance film slate.”
The son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison (one of the world’s richest men) is personally invested in entertainment, above and beyond his background with USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and memberships in the Producers Guild of America and the Television Academy.
<div id="attachment_997643" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997643" class="size-large wp-image-997643" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-450392142-866x576.jpg" alt="Larry Ellison, chief executive officer at Oracle Corp., speaks during an event at the company's headquarters in Redwood City, California, U.S., on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. Ellison announced today that Oracle Corp will be releasing a new in memory database system called 12c in July 2014. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-450392142-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-450392142-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-450392142-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-450392142.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
An <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/features/david-ellison-hollywood-takeover-paramount-warner-bros-1236569136/">expansive Variety profile</a> suggests he’s willing to shake up the status quo in order to stay profitable in an uncertain time for film and TV studios. The old ways no longer work, he believes, and there’s plenty of evidence to back him up, given Hollywood’s uncertain present.
The bigger issue, one that could turn the cultural tide? He’s MAGA=adjacent. President Donald Trump has referred to the Ellisons as “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/media/ellison-wbd-trump-warner-bros-discovery-bid">friends” and “big supporters.”</a> 
Exaggerations? Possibly. The younger Ellison has been coy about his ties to Trump, telling a press gaggle earlier this year that he <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/david-ellison-paramount-plans-politics?srsltid=AfmBOopmFhN2gwtpuslNfLqAi5xkwi8GFifA8TAs49IslmXixJozLRyB">wanted to avoid political conversations</a>.
“Half my family is Democrat, half my family is Republican … I don’t intend to put my finger on the scale.”
That’s both an improvement on the status quo and something that speaks to both the cultural moment and the sense that Hollywood, Inc. has spent years alienating a huge swath of the country at its peril.
Ellison could make a sizable play for said swath by playing it down the middle. And, on occasion, reaching out to the Right when it makes sense. 
He recently partnered with the Trump administration to bring a UFC extravaganza to the White House lawn next year. That’s part of the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/paramount-wins-exclusive-us-rights-ufc-77-billion-deal-2025-08-11/">company’s $7.7 billion (with a B) UFC deal</a>. That sport skews decidedly young and male, a far cry from the “toxic masculinity” cries circulating in some Hollywood projects.
<div id="attachment_997651" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997651" class="size-large wp-image-997651" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2242789414-864x576.jpg" alt="ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 23: UFC President and CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 321 press conference at Etihad Arena on October 23, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2242789414-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2242789414-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2242789414-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2242789414.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC</div>
Team UFC isn’t in lockstep with the Democrats like most sports, either. You won’t find an “End Racism” logo on any octagon. Some <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/29/mma-trump-election-433529">MMA stars are pro-Trump</a>, while key figures like Rogan and UFC CEO Dana White both endorsed the leader’s 2024 campaign.
Ellison recently acquired the center-driven Free Press news outlet and hired founder Bari Weiss to restore CBS News as a trustworthy platform.
Weiss, a center-Left lesbian with a passion for old-school journalism, is the kind of person few people of Ellison’s status would embrace. He chose her anyway, hoping she would restore the CBS brand to its former glory. She quickly axed departments tied to race and climate.
That Variety profile mentions upcoming Ellison projects, such as a “Top Gun” sequel, the Heartland hit that Hollywood has yet to Xerox in any meaningful fashion. The only recent film to capture “Top Gun: Maverick’s” spirit? “F1,” the Brad Pitt racing film from earlier this year. Both hit films were shot by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-all-american-director-you-dont-know-by-name">same director</a>, Joseph Kosinski.
<div id="attachment_997633" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997633" class="size-large wp-image-997633" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1395478401-864x576.jpg" alt="SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 04: (L-R) Brian Robbins, President &amp; CEO, Paramount Pictures, Bob Bakish, President and CEO, Paramount Global, David Ellison, Joseph Kosinski, Tom Cruise, Shari Redstone, Non-Executive Chairwoman, Paramount Global, Jerry Bruckheimer and Christopher McQuarrie attends the Global Premiere of &quot;Top Gun: Maverick&quot; on May 04, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1395478401-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1395478401-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1395478401-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-1395478401.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures</div>
Other Ellison films include a “Call of Duty” video game adaptation from Trump-friendly director Peter Berg and a cowboy feature the liberal outlet dubbed a “Western version of ‘Taken.’”
For years, Hollywood seemed willing to lose money in order to push a progressive message. The best example? It kept late-night TV reflexively liberal, ignoring viewers who craved a second opinion. Fox News shamed the industry by giving right-leaning Greg Gutfeld a late-night showcase, and his ratings numbers now speak for themselves.
That’s called leaving money on the table. Would Team Ellison do that?
CBS famously put an end to Stephen Colbert’s reign on “The Late Show,” giving him until May of 2026 to peddle his nonstop Trump barbs. That move came a month before Skydance acquired Paramount, Colbert’s then-employer.
As Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/skydance-colbert-late-show-anti-bribery-laws-paramount-senators-letter-1236476164/">reported</a>, “&#8230;Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, Skydance’s general counsel and co-president of business operations, said in part … “Skydance was “not involved” in CBS’s decision to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert&#8230;”
None of this means Ellison plans to turn Skydance into a Fox News-like media empire. No channels dedicated to Dinesh D’Souza documentaries or Chuck Norris films. It’s far more significant than that, potentially.
Ellison’s mission could give half the nation a veritable safe space, a company that won’t insult them and, on occasion, deliver content that speaks to their values. Hollywood needs fresh thinking and a way to reach audiences who have been chased away by A-list talent for far too long.
A key reason why the Oscars, a once-beloved TV institution, is no longer a ratings juggernaut is that too many stars rage against the show’s audience. Viewers hate them back by turning the channel.
Megastars no longer move the political needle every four years, in part, due to that animosity.
An Ellison-ized Hollywood could tell stories that would never otherwise be told. Imagine features on how Venezuela’s socialism crashed a once-prosperous nation. Or heroic tales that speak to the best American values, not just Oscar-bait dramas reeking of greedy capitalists or cruel men of faith.
It’s the kind of industry shake-up Hollywood needs, and it may take a billionaire of Ellison’s status to make it happen. Or, as screenwriter William Goldman said about Hollywood, “nobody knows anything.”
But if Ellison bucks conventional wisdom, he actually could make Hollywood great again.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Key Speakers At The Bloomberg Screentime Conference

Paramount’s New Boss Has One Mission: Make Hollywood Watchable Again

Bari Weiss

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Dana White

Silicon Valley

Tom Cruise

Video Games

White House

Taylor Sheridan, the Academy Award–nominated creator behind &#8220;Yellowstone,&#8221; will depart Paramount for NBCUniversal when his contract ends in 2028, according to a recent announcement.
This is a big deal because Sheridan is responsible for several other Paramount hits, including “1923,” “Tulsa King,” “Special Ops: Lioness,” and more popular projects. Sheridan didn’t give a statement explaining why he’s leaving, but anonymous sources say it was partly due to creative differences with Paramount&#8217;s new leadership.
This includes the director’s reluctance to work on a special project celebrating America’s 250th anniversary next year, which was reportedly requested by the company’s new CEO, David Ellison, whom President Donald Trump has called a good friend. Per The Wall Street Journal, Sheridan didn’t want to make anything “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/why-yellowstone-mastermind-taylor-sheridan-decided-to-ditch-paramount-2192d401">overtly political</a>.” 
It’s worth noting that while “Yellowstone” was very popular with a conservative audience, especially in the early seasons, the show’s creator explicitly stated that he didn’t want it to be.
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“They refer to it as ‘the conservative show’ or ‘the Republican show’ or ‘the red-state Game of Thrones,’ ” Sheridan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/yellowstone-creator-taylor-sheridan-laughs-at-the-idea-of-series-being-a-red-state-show">told</a> The Atlantic in 2022.
“And I just sit back laughing. I’m like, ‘Really?’ The show’s talking about the displacement of Native Americans and the way Native American women were treated and about corporate greed and the gentrification of the West, and land-grabbing. That’s a red-state show?”
He said the same in 2019, calling the idea of “Yellowstone” advancing conservative ideas “the most ridiculous thing.”
Budgets are clearly a major concern months after the close of the $8.4 billion merger of Paramount and Skydance. Per a <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/10/paramount-layoffs-begin-ceo-david-ellison-1236600654/">memo</a> from Ellison, 1,000 employees are being laid off this week, and 1,000 more will be let go soon. The CEO told staff, “These steps are necessary to position Paramount for long-term success.”
Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, backed his son David Ellison’s company, Skydance Media, in its takeover of Paramount Global. While David serves as CEO, Larry remains the primary financial force behind the deal, operating largely behind the scenes. Ellison, who has a close relationship with President Trump, is also working with him on a deal involving TikTok’s U.S. operations.

Taylor Sheridan

‘Yellowstone’ Creator Who Quit Paramount Snubbed U.S. Celebration Pitch, Citing Politics: Report

'Yellowstone' Creator Who Quit Paramount Was Opposed To Making America Celebration Special: Report

Politics

Televison

Yellowstone

“Roofman” doesn’t look or sound like a faith-based movie.
The film follows a prison escapee named Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) who hides out in a toy store while wooing a naïve divorcee (Kirsten Dunst). Paramount Pictures isn’t known for producing religious fare, and director Derek Cianfrance made his name with gritty tales like “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines.”
Plus, it’s based on a true story. Look closer.
The October release focuses on the divorcee’s tight-knit Christian community. The church welcomes Jeffrey, provides him with support, and is portrayed in a uniformly positive light.
As a result, the real-life figures in the Manchester saga, including the woman played by Dunst, have forgiven Manchester for his transgressions. It helps that the character and the real-life criminal aren’t cruel by nature.
He was a kinder, gentler crook, and the film leans into that dichotomy along with some powerful, redemptive arcs. Tatum’s character spends much of his time clowning around inside a Toys &#8220;R&#8221; Us store, chomping candy, and entertaining himself long after the last customer had left the store.
<div id="attachment_985765" style="width: 816px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-985765" class="wp-image-985765 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount-806x576.jpg" alt="Photo Credit: Davi Russo/Davi Russo. Copyright 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED." width="806" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount-806x576.jpg 806w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount-300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount-768x549.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Roofman.-Tatum.-Parmount.jpg 2000w" sizes=" (max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px" />Photo Credit: Davi Russo/Davi Russo. Copyright 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</div>
That tone and approach to the spiritual themes was by design, according to Cianfrance.
The director tells The Daily Wire he spent roughly 400 hours talking to the real Jeffrey Manchester, a former California U.S. military sergeant, from prison over a span of four years. 
“I wouldn’t have made the movie if I hadn’t been able to talk to him,” Cianfrance said. The Hollywood veteran learned about not just Manchester but the community that took him in during a curious time in his life.
“The pastor had created this ideologized little society. It was diverse. Old people. Young people. Rich people. Poor people. All different races,” said Cianfrance, who grew up Catholic. “They welcomed everyone.”
The director made sure that spirit infused the film, and he acknowledges that Hollywood doesn’t always capture faith in a positive way. That’s being generous.
<div id="attachment_985797" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-985797" class="size-large wp-image-985797" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2238204363-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: (L-R) Peter Dinklage, Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Alissa Marie Pearson, Channing Tatum, Esmé McSherry, Kirsten Dunst, Derek Cianfrance and Kirt Gunn attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount Pictures' &quot;Roofman&quot; at Paramount Theatre on September 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2238204363-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2238204363-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2238204363-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2238204363.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Monica Schipper/Getty Images</div>
“In Hollywood movies, they present Christianity or the church, any kind of church, in a very negative light. It’s almost like a punchline, something to satirize … I don’t have that perspective in my heart,” he said.
Manchester’s stint outside of jail allowed him to find a welcoming community, a positive sign in a rather twisted story. “We’re so divided as a society … this movie was a chance for me to shine a light on them.”
He still wasn’t entirely sold on the project at first. On paper, the saga of Jeffrey Manchester seemed too surreal even for a feature film.
The real Manchester robbed his fair share of fast-food joints, but he also extended kindness to the startled employees along the way. An early scene in “Roofman” finds Tatum’s character giving his jacket to a worker who he steered into the restaurant’s cooler so he would stay warm until the authorities arrived to free him.
<div id="attachment_985775" style="width: 816px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-985775" class="wp-image-985775 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II-806x576.jpg" alt="Photo Credit: Davi Russo/Davi Russo. Copyright 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED." width="806" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II-806x576.jpg 806w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II-300x214.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II-768x549.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Tatum.-Roofman.-Paramount-II.jpg 2000w" sizes=" (max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px" />Photo Credit: Davi Russo/Davi Russo. Copyright 2025 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.</div>
He also had a path to freedom at one point in his journey, according to Cianfrance, but he chose to reunite with someone he met during his prison break instead.
“His humanity made him a less effective criminal,” the director said, and that triggered his creative Spidey Senses. “I asked myself, ‘Is this for real?” That led him to chat with Manchester for hour upon hour, but he still wasn’t convinced.
He had to speak to the people in his life, the members of Crossroads Church whom he bamboozled.
“They validated all of his stories, even the crazier ones,” said the director, implying he left some material out of his script to keep the film credible. He expected the church’s pastor, Ron Smith, and Leigh Wainscott to be furious with Manchester’s deceptions. Their memories of him proved much more complicated and empathetic.
“They were the ones who redeemed him,” Cianfrance said.
Manchester has accepted his fate as an inmate at Central Prison in Raleigh, N.C. He knows he repeatedly broke the law and only disagrees with the length of his sentence, according to Cianfrance. His <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/movies/roofman-true-story-jeffrey-manchester-rcna236165">release date</a> is December 2036.
Manchester eventually gave “Roofman” and Cianfrance his blessing via their string of phone calls.
“Derek, this is my story, but it’s your movie &#8230; I want you to make your movie,” he recalled.
<div id="attachment_985789" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-985789" class="size-large wp-image-985789" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2239586469-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 06: Channing Tatum and Derek Cianfrance visit the SiriusXM Studios on October 06, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2239586469-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2239586469-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2239586469-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/GettyImages-2239586469.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Cindy Ord/Getty Images</div>
The director’s film came in with a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-jared-leto-tron-ares-1236397724/">$19 million budget</a>, a small sum for an industry struggling to share original stories untethered to established IPs. That made its modest $8 million opening frame acceptable by industry standards.
What Cianfrance finds unacceptable is the sudden, shocking threat AI poses to his industry.
“Writing is hard &#8230; staring at a screen and not knowing [what to write]. It’s the struggle where you find the journey, the process of writing that I love,” he said. “It’s not about getting it right or finding the solution.”
“I embrace the mistakes not the perfection,” he continued. “I think what makes us all unique is not how perfect we are, it’s our flaws. The human flaws can’t be replicated by AI.”
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Variety Cover Party Presented By RBC At RBC House, Toronto International Film Festival 2025

Director Derek Cianfrance On ‘Roofman’: A True Story Of Faith Hollywood Rarely Tells

Director Derek Cianfrance On 'Roofman': A True Story Of Faith Hollywood Rarely Tells

Channing Tatum

Film

UFC CEO Dana White announced on Monday that the pay-per-view model is going away following a &#8220;historic deal&#8221; between the UFC and Paramount, which owns CBS.
Paramount announced on Monday morning that it struck a seven-year $7.7 billion deal with the UFC, giving CBS and Paramount+ exclusive broadcast and streaming rights to one of America&#8217;s fastest-growing sports. Under the new deal — which will go into effect next year — Paramount will have access to all 30 UFC Fight Nights, along with 13 additional major UFC events, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/business/paramount-ufc-fights-deal.html">reported</a>. Some of the UFC&#8217;s top matchups will be broadcast on CBS, and all of the fights will be available with a subscription to Paramount+, with no additional pay-per-view fees.
White celebrated the news, writing in a <a href="https://x.com/danawhite/status/1954876574404366488">statement</a>, &#8220;This historic deal with Paramount and CBS is incredible for UFC fans and our athletes. For the first time ever, fans in the US will have access to all UFC content without a Pay-Per-View model, making it affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform.&#8221;
&#8220;This deal puts UFC amongst the biggest sports in the world,&#8221; White added. &#8220;The exposure provided by the Paramount and CBS networks under this new structure is a huge win for our athletes and anyone who watches and loves this sport.&#8221;
The deal marks one of the first major moves from Paramount&#8217;s new CEO, David Ellison, who became the company&#8217;s head honcho just last week after his company, Skydance Media, took over Paramount.
“We could not be more excited about this,” Ellison told the Times. “From my perspective, the U.F.C. is really a unicorn sports asset.”
“We think it is going to be incredibly material in terms of increasing our engagement on Paramount+, driving subscriber acquisitions and also meaningfully growing revenue across the business,” Ellison added.
Since 2019, the UFC has been broadcast and streamed on ESPN and ESPN+. Under that deal, ESPN paid $550 million per year for rights to UFC coverage. The ESPN-UFC streaming model was highly criticized by fans who had to pay both a subscription fee and a pay-per-view fee for the biggest fights. To watch fights on ESPN+, UFC fans were charged a monthly subscription for the Disney streaming service on top of a pay-per-view fee for some of the biggest fights.
Under the UFC-Paramount deal, fans will pay for a Paramount+ subscription, which is $8 per month for a basic subscription or $13 per month for a premium subscription, and there won&#8217;t be any additional fees for marquee fights.
“For our fan base, this is going to be much easier, much more accessible, much less expensive, and something that is going to ultimately attract and keep a lot of subscribers with Paramount+,” said Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO, which owns the UFC.

Goodbye, PPV: Dana White Drops Major UFC Bombshell After ‘Historic Deal’ With CBS

Goodbye, Pay-Per-View: Dana White Drops Major UFC News After 'Historic Deal' With CBS

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