John Leguizamo calls Skydance’s plan to move Paramount and Warner Bros. production out of LA “heartless”

The new company formed as a result of the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger is called Skydance. However, the road to this point hasn't been smooth sailing for Paramount's CEO, David Ellison. Back in July 2026, a coalition of 12 attorneys general and the WGA launched an antitrust lawsuit against the media company to stop it from acquiring Warner Bros.

Before a settlement was reached regarding the lawsuit, David Ellison had threatened to move the television and film production of Paramount and Warner Bros. out of Los Angeles to gain leverage. John Leguizamo has criticized the company's earlier intentions.

John Leguizamo on Skydance's intention to move Paramount and Warner Bros.' production out of LA

Earlier this year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general led an antitrust lawsuit to block the $111 billion Paramount and Warner Bros. merger. To gain leverage in that situation, David Ellison had threatened to move Paramount's and Warner Bros.' (now Skydance) operations out of California.

The media company considered shifting its headquarters to other states like Texas, Tennessee, or Georgia. Leaving Los Angeles would have led to the loss of jobs for several Californians and also led to a huge decrease in the state's economic output.

Now that the lawsuit has been resolved and a settlement has been reached, it doesn't look like Ellison has any plans of shifting Skydance's operations to a different state. The settlement specifically mandates that Paramount and Warner Bros. are to maintain operations on their respective studio lots, which protects local facilities despite earlier relocation threats.

In a conversation with Variety, John Leguizamo talked about the company's earlier intention to shift Paramount and Warner Bros.' production outside of Los Angeles. The words he used to describe the plan are:

"heartless"

and

"despicable."

In the settlement, Paramount made the commitment to spend $300 million annually on domestic U.S. film production over 5 years. Moreover, the media company has also agreed to release at least 30 films a year in theaters during the first two years and 32 films a year in the next three years.

When Variety's Mark Malkin brought up Paramount agreeing to the 5-year commitment when it comes to film production, Leguizamo spoke on it, saying:

“But that’s still not enough! You’ve got an expiration date. So people have to plan for the next five years, and then what? No, that’s not cool.”

What Leguizamo said highlights a genuine concern that is yet to be addressed by Skydance or any governing body. While Skydance is supposed to, and will most likely uphold the concessions it has agreed to, the future of film is still in uncertainty after the 5-year period is over.

Thus, the only way the industry can be assured that the media company will prioritize film production and not conduct massive layoffs is if the media company signs agreements every few years. But as of now, it is hard to say where Skydance is headed, how it will affect Hollywood, and if it will honor the commitment beyond the 5-year period.

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