Overview
- A federal temporary restraining order currently bars Paramount’s $110–111 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery from closing and a court has scheduled a preliminary‑injunction hearing for the states’ case on August 3.
- The Writers Guild of America filed a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to align its timetable with the states’ litigation or obtain a similarly fast schedule to pause the merger.
- The WGA says the combined company would control roughly 35 percent of writing slots for anticipated top‑grossing films and that this concentration would cost writers jobs, lower pay, and reduce creative opportunities.
- Paramount disputes the guild’s claims and says a larger company would greenlight more projects for writers while the deal’s $7 million‑per‑day ticking fee after September 30 raises strong commercial pressure to close.
- The court fights add to parallel tracks that could block closing, including the states’ antitrust suit, shareholder and consumer litigation, and ongoing EU and UK regulatory reviews that could shape the deal’s ultimate fate.