Guess what David Ellison is calling the new Warner Bros.-Paramount (it ain't WarnerMount)

As the entertainment industry collectively braces for the imminent completion of the Warner Bros.-Paramount Skydance merger, plucky CEO David Ellison has taken to X to share his immediate plans for the companies’ brand under his ownership. Going forward, Ellison tells us, Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. will combine into “Skydance,” the name of the company Ellison founded in 2006. “What once was the peak is now just the beginning,” Ellison wrote, with his knowing reference to Paramount’s mountain logo perhaps his way of seeming normal. “Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren’t rewriting history—we’re equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: A creative-first home for bold, quality storytelling.”

“We chose this name for a few important reasons,” Ellison said, as if we wouldn’t grok what those reasons might be—chiefly, that “Skydance” is his, and now, Warner Bros. is Skydance’s. “First and foremost, as we bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together, we wanted to preserve what has made each of these studios iconic. Both have distinct identities, extraordinary legacies, and brands that have resonated with audiences for generations. We never wanted a new corporate identity to diminish, alter, or overshadow either one. Instead, we wanted a name that would give the combined company an identity of its own while allowing Paramount and Warner Bros.—and all our extraordinary brands—to remain in the spotlight.”

Ellison attached a video to his post featuring big-time WB IP, including snippets from The Dark Knight, Superman, Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, among others. (The video is set to John Murphy’s “Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)” from Danny Boyle’s 2007 sci-fi film, Sunshine, which is dirty pool.) At the end of the clip, brand logos for CNN, Nickelodeon, HBO Max, Paramount, Paramount+, CBS, and DC can be seen orbiting around the Skydance banner, as though they’d always been there. *Eyeballs that bottle of whiskey on the kitchen counter*

What this announcement says, aside from Ellison predictably flexing a bit, is that while Warner Bros. and Paramount will combine into Skydance, the brands will remain separate production companies, as 20th Century Studios continues to exist under the Walt Disney Company. So, don’t expect the WB/Paramount water towers to merge into a single, ghastly water-tower amalgamation with “Skydance” painted on it (at least not yet). “We have big goals for Skydance, and we intend to pursue them with passion, imagination, and a willingness to take smart risks,” he continued. “At the same time, we will honor what makes Paramount and Warner Bros. special—giving both studios the opportunity to grow, tell more great stories, and bring those stories to even broader audiences around the world, powered by the scale and capabilities of Skydance.