Paramount Says It Did Not Leak Discussions With California’s Attorney General to the Press

Getty David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance released a statement Monday after California attorney general Rob Bonta abruptly canceled the two sides’ planned meeting, alleging Paramount had leaked confidential discussions about the Warner Bros. Discovery case. “We share AG Bonta’s concerns about the public discussions and misreporting that has surrounded this deal,” Paramount said in a statement sent to Variety. “As we have assured the Attorney General’s office, Paramount has not been the source of the leaks of any of our confidential discussions with the AG’s office. We remain hopeful and stand ready to continue good-faith discussions to resolve the Attorneys General suit and move forward with our plans for increased competition and increased output to the benefit of the talent and entertainment workers.” Earlier Monday, Bonta had said in a statement: “Not only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith. As soon as Paramount stops playing games and engages sincerely, my office is happy to meet again.” Popular on Variety Bonta’s nixing of the Monday meeting came after a Wall Street Journal report Sunday that the California AG was “expected to ask Paramount to divest some cable channels and commit to keeping its movie studio separate from Warner Bros.” as a condition for dropping the 12-state antitrust lawsuit seeking to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. More to come. More from Variety