Judge clears the sale of Warner

Now it’s official. On Wednesday, September 30, federal judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed the agreement between Paramount and the 12 American states that tried to block the purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery. It was the last lock, and the companies had already set the date: the deal closes on Tuesday, October 6th. The home of DC, Batman and the Snyder Cut changes hands.

For those who fell by parachute: Paramount Skydance, owned by David Ellison, signed the purchase in February, for around 111 billion dollars including debts. In July, 12 states went to court, on September 21st the agreement was reached and at the hearing on the 24th the judge warned that it was not a rubber stamp. This wait is in Judge holds the sale of Warner.

Because she read the opinions against it, admitted that she had reason to be disappointed and concluded that wanting more from the agreement is not illegal. Signed as it was. So what the channel read in the 32 pages is worth it: 30 films per year in American cinemas in the first two years and 32 in the following three, 45 days alone in the theater, 300 million dollars more per year in production in the United States and the Burbank studio protected until the end of 2031.

Per yearThe windowSafeguards

Minimum US theatrical releases

Year 1 2027, if the deal closes in 2026

12345

Tap or click a bar to see the details.

1. Theatrical releases 30 32 30
2. Wide releases (2,000+ screens) 20 21 20
3. Independent films 4 4

Document: settlement filed in US federal court, p. 5

30 films in the first two years, 32 in the next three

That's the floor: the new company has to release at least this many films in US theaters every year, and at least half must be its own productions or co-productions. Re-releases, anniversary editions or repackaged old films don't count.

Source: Settlement, sections III.A.1 and III.A.11, p. 5 and 8 09/21/2026

Years count from the closing of the deal. The calendar years shown are the example the settlement itself gives.

Source: Settlement between 12 states and Paramount/Warner Bros. Discovery (case 4:26-cv-07116, document 244) 09/21/2026 / Checked on 09/24/2026

And who is in charge? Ellison remains chairman of the board and CEO, and brought in Ynon Kreiz, who ran Mattel, to share the role and take care of the day-to-day operations. According to CNN, Ellison is in charge of the strategy, creative direction and relationship with the artists. David Zaslav, head of Warner since 2022, must leave.

And DC? So far, no one has announced a change. Ellison has already visited the set of Man of Tomorrow and, according to a DC producer to the Hollywood Reporter, he is very open to working with James Gunn and Peter Safran, who have a contract until the spring of 2027.

And Snyder? He gave the message in Toronto, as we said in Snyder wants to chat with the future owner of DC.

I would love to have a conversation with them. I know they value the brand and Warner Bros. is one of the great cinematic brands of all time.

Zack Snyder to Variety, interview published on 09/15/2026

In the same interview he said that he thinks the Ellisons love cinema, and laughed at himself: maybe it was optimism, maybe naivety. Now notice: the relationship with the artists in the new house lies with Ellison himself. And on Wednesday morning, hours before the signing, Snyder posted Batman v Superman production art on Instagram, which received more than 62,000 likes.

His return to Paramount is still a rumor: no one from the company has touched on the subject. But the door he wants to knock on gets a new owner on Tuesday. And, for us, there has never been a better time for this conversation.