Overview
- On Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said there are no settlement talks scheduled after he canceled a planned meeting and accused the Paramount camp of leaking and misrepresenting confidential negotiation details.
- Bonta said he will only reengage if the studio stops the purported leaks, and Paramount has denied it was the source of the disclosures and said it remains ready for good‑faith discussions.
- A federal merits trial is set for March 2, 2027 in Oakland and the deal contract now inflicts rising daily costs on Paramount, increasing pressure to resolve the dispute before ticking fees grow larger.
- Major theater chains publicly backing the merger have weakened the states’ customer‑testimony strategy while investment bankers are quietly lining up potential buyers for assets such as New Line and cable networks in anticipation of court‑ordered divestitures.
- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has threatened to take California to the U.S. Supreme Court over the suit, a move that could complicate timing but has not produced a filed case so far and highlights the political split shaping the litigation and its local economic stakes.