The multi-billion dollar bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. may soon be over. How are the negotiations connected to Harry Potter, Trump, TikTok — and the future of cinema?
This week, Warner Bros.' board told shareholders to reject a $108-billion (€92-billion) hostile takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, the studio behind the "Top Gun" and "Mission: Impossible" movies.
Instead, the board is standing by its original plan: an $82.7 billion deal with Netflix. That agreement, accepted by the board in early December, would see the streaming giant buy most of Warner Bros., including its film studio and franchises ("Harry Potter," "Dune," DC Comics brands like "Superman" and "Batman") as well as premium TV network HBO, home to hit shows like "Game of Thrones" and "The White Lotus."
What Netflix is not buying are Warner Bros.' legacy cable channels, including CNN, Discovery and Cartoon Net
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