The merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. was finalized today. The resulting monstrosity has been rebranded as Skydance Corp. Just a cute little corp., dancing in the sky, that now owns everything from CBS and HBO to Superman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s never been easier to put them all in the same fighting game, though gaming was nowhere in sight in the company’s press release.

Instead, it talked about combining the “storied history of two of the world’s most recognizable entertainment companies” in order to deliver “enhanced output commitments” powered by “creative-first,” “tech-forward” thinking anchored by “disciplined execution” and “widening choice for consumers across every entertainment vertical.” Skydance Corp. chairman David Ellison, the son of the eighth-richest man in the world, promised “at least $6 billion in run-rate synergies within three years.” Inspiring.

Never forget that David Ellison's Skydance Media was originally created so he could be an actor.

Skydance's first film was 'Flyboys' starring James Franco and… David Ellison. David and his daddy invested $60m to make Flyboys.

The journey began with the formation of Skydance Media back in 2006, whose first movie was Flyboys starring James Franco and, you guessed it, David Ellison. The future media tycoon played a thief who became a World War I pilot to evade the law. The critically panned box-office flop ended with his character leaving the military to start a flying circus. Exactly 20 years later, that IRL circus bought Warner Bros. for $110 billion.

The combined entity now owns a truly hard-to-fathom list of linear cable channels, streaming platforms, franchises, and movie distribution rights.

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