Paramount insists it's serious about leaving California

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who has been leading the antitrust charge against Paramount for the last few months, has characterized this as “blackmail” and a “threat.” In a new statement to Deadline, he said, “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.” As Deadline points out, the corporation’s decision to move would have little bearing on the antitrust suit, though, optically, it’s certainly unlikely to make David Ellison any new friends or allies in Hollywood.