George Cheeks, Paramount's chair of TV media, is in line for expanded oversight at Skydance, the newly named company that will emerge from the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. Cheeks, whose current domain includes all of CBS and the Paramount cable networks, is expected to oversee all three television studios: Warner Bros. TV, CBS Studios, and Paramount Television Studios.
The move is part of a broader executive restructuring taking shape ahead of the transaction's expected close. Skydance would not comment on the plans, but Cheeks has been seen as a central figure in the merged company's television operations. The new entity, which will be called Skydance, was revealed by the company on Friday.
As part of the same leadership alignment, Paramount Production Co-Chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are poised to oversee Skydance's movie studios, including Warner Bros. and Paramount. The film and television oversight will fall under Paramount CEO David Ellison's team, signaling a consolidated approach to the combined studio assets.
Other key appointments are also coming into focus. Richard Brener, New Line Cinema's president and chief creative officer and the genre label's longest-serving employee, is expected to join the new Paramount-Warner Bros. studio while continuing to steer New Line. Meanwhile, James Gunn and Peter Safran will remain at the helm of DC Studios, the Warner Bros.-owned film, TV, and comic book production hub, after the acquisition closes.
The merger will combine two of Hollywood's most storied entertainment companies into a single far-reaching media empire. The deal is set to close on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the timeline. The new company's name, Skydance, reflects the Paramount subsidiary that is driving the transaction under Ellison's leadership.
For the television industry, Cheeks's expanded role would place him at the center of a portfolio that spans broadcast, cable, and streaming production. CBS Studios, Warner Bros. TV, and Paramount Television Studios collectively produce a significant share of scripted and unscripted programming across networks and platforms. Bringing them under one executive could streamline decision-making and create economies of scale as the merged company seeks to compete with other major media conglomerates.
The executive structure is still being finalized, and the company has not made a formal announcement about Cheeks's new responsibilities. However, the signals from within the organization suggest that the leadership team is being assembled with an eye toward integration and operational efficiency. The appointments of Goldberg, Greenstein, Brener, Gunn, and Safran indicate that Skydance intends to retain key creative talent while consolidating oversight.
The merger has drawn attention across the entertainment business for its potential impact on production, distribution, and employment. Combining Paramount's assets, which include CBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon, with Warner Bros. Discovery's portfolio, which includes HBO, CNN, and the Warner Bros. film and television studios, would create a company with substantial leverage in negotiations with talent, advertisers, and distributors.
As the closing date approaches, more details about the leadership structure are expected to emerge. For now, Cheeks's anticipated role underscores the importance of television operations in the newly formed Skydance and the company's intention to keep experienced executives in place while it integrates two major studio systems.