While Paramount has yet to announce its official departure from Hollywood, Los Angeles officials are on high alert after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Attorney General Rob Bonta were told an exit announcement was imminent.
While TMZ reported that the statement was expected Tuesday, no announcement has been made. Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance officials have been spotted in Nashville scouting commercial properties as the studio considers moving some of its operations there, according to insiders with knowledge of the search in a new report.
The studio has already looked at more than 400,000 square feet of potential space in Music City, according to a report by Politico. Other possible relocation options on the table include Texas and Georgia.
Paramount declined to comment on the reports of a possible move when contacted by Fox News Digital.
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“We cannot comment on a company’s plans,” Bonta’s office told Fox News Digital. “It’s no secret that Paramount has been making this threat, despite its alleged commitment to California and Hollywood. What Paramount decides to do is Paramount’s choice alone. We’ll continue to apply the law without fear or favor and continue to be open to coming to the table for good faith discussions.”
Bonta told MS NOW on Thursday that LA officials are still willing to come to the table and negotiate.
“We’ve heard this threat before, and it’s inconsistent with other things that they have said,” he said. “If they decide to leave, that’s their independent choice. I’m not asking for it. I don’t want it, obviously, and that responsibility will lay at their feet.”
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Bonta was also asked about the possible move Thursday at The Atlantic Festival in New York.
“We will do our job,” he said. “We have a job to enforce the law without fear and without favor, and at the same time, we are always open to come to the table if it is in good faith, and it is sincere, and we will always explore an opportunity to get the results that we want with our evaluation of the case at the table.”
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In July, Bonta, along with 11 other state attorneys general, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Paramount in an attempt to block the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. They claimed the merger would eliminate competition in film distribution and basic cable while negatively affecting industry workers and consumers.
For his part, Paramount CEO David Ellison then threatened to move the iconic studio out of the Golden State if Bonta did not back off and a settlement was not reached by Oct. 1.
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Now, it appears increasingly unlikely that a deal can be reached.
Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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