The dust has only just settled on Paramount's merger with Skydance, but the film bosses at the studio are at least talking up a good game in the first steps of its new era.
"One of our biggest priorities is restoring Paramount as the number one destination for the most talented artists and filmmakers in the world," Ellison told assembled press at a recent event (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Great filmmakers make great movies."
To that end, Paramount is outright rejecting the streaming approach of some of its competition, instead opting to embrace the theatrical experience in a major way. That, surely, will be music to the ears of moviegoers – and Tom Cruise – who consider the cinema to be hallowed ground in uncertain times.
"Streaming movies are not a priority for me," Paramount Plus boss Cindy Holland said at the event.
So, what is on the slate? Franchises mentioned include Top Gun 3, a World War Z movie, and Star Trek – which will aim to revert the church-and-state separation of its TV and film brands into a more blended approach.
There have been several Top Gun 3 updates in the past 12 months, with Glen Powell, who starred in Top Gun: Maverick, cryptically stating he "has a date" pencilled in for the threequel.
Mission: Impossible director and Top Gun: Maverick producer Christopher McQuarrie also revealed that the story has been cracked on an episode of Happy Sad Confused.
"It wasn't hard. I thought it would be, and that's a good place to go from," McQuarrie teased.
As for Star Trek, a Toby Haynes-directed movie is in the works, while Deadline suggests "another installment" with Kirk and Spock is happening, which could be the long-gestating Star Trek 4.
World War Z, meanwhile, is a more curious inclusion. The actioner was – until F1 – Brad Pitt's highest-grossing movie as a lead, but the series has been dormant for over a decade. Might we find new life in the zombie franchise – and several more besides at Paramount?
For more, check out the upcoming movies currently in the works, plus all the movie release dates to pencil into your calendar for the rest of 2025.
