David Ellison Hits Europe to Push Hostile Warner Bros. Discovery Takeover

David Ellison is racing to win support across Europe for his $108.4 billion bid to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. He’s meeting with political leaders and film industry figures to rally backing against Netflix, which is also trying to acquire the studio. Regulators in the U.S. and Europe are closely watching both deals.

This week, Ellison visited Paris with his team. They met with French President Emmanuel Macron, culture minister Rachida Dati, and top film executives like Gaetan Bruel, president of the National Film Board (CNC), Gaumont CEO Sidonie Dumas, Richard Patry, head of the French Exhibition Association, and Victor Hadida of Metropolitan Filmexport. Bloomberg first reported on Ellison’s visit to the Elysée Palace.

Paramount executives have also been meeting leaders in Germany and the U.K. Ellison spoke with Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media, and sport in the U.K., and the team also held talks with officials at the European Commission.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., a Delaware Chancery Court judge blocked Paramount Skydance’s attempt to fast-track a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery. The lawsuit wanted Warner to reveal financial details about its $83 billion deal with Netflix. Because of the judge’s decision, Ellison’s $30-per-share hostile bid will move forward without fast-track discovery. The offer is set to expire on January 21, a date Ellison’s team set themselves.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos was in France last month for the premiere of “Emily in Paris” Season 4. He met with industry figures, spoke with Macron while Darren Star received the Legion of Honor, visited Canal+ Group’s upfront, and promised to keep Warner Bros. movies in theaters during a talk with Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada. The next day, Sarandos and Netflix COO Greg Peters visited Discovery CEO David Zaslav at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank to show that Netflix’s deal was secure.

French film insiders were surprised when rumors started circulating about Netflix planning a 17-day theatrical window for Warner Bros. movies. In France, this would not be allowed. French law requires a four-month exclusive cinema window, and Netflix has to wait 15 months before releasing new films on its platform. Netflix has challenged these rules and even appealed to France’s Council of State.

During his Paris meetings, Ellison stressed his commitment to theaters. One source who attended the meetings told Variety, “I was impressed by David Ellison’s determination to try to buy Warner. His arguments are strong. He explained his strategy to us: he is betting everything on keeping both studios, respecting media chronology and windows in France and other countries, and maintaining a high level of production at Paramount and Warner.”

Another industry source added that Ellison’s efforts could make a difference. “We’re hearing that the deal with Netflix is being heavily scrutinized in the U.S. and we think it’s going to hit a wall with the European anti-trust regulators,” the source said. “Ellison made it crystal clear that seeing Warner selling to Paramount Skydance rather than Netflix would be a much happier outcome for the film industry.”

The future of Warner Bros. is a big concern for movie theaters in Europe, which have already struggled with lower attendance in 2025. Warner is known not just for big blockbusters, but also for having strong ties to European audiences, making the outcome of the deal especially important.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!