Paramount: A Slow-Motion Murder in Plain Sight

Nepo babies, a $50M shove and muddled visions for the once-great, now cursed studio

HAPPIER DAYS From left: Bob Bakish, David Ellison, Joseph Kosinski, Tom Cruise and Shari Redstone at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in May 2022. (Photo illustration by The Ankler; Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

Before we go on, let’s pause to acknowledge another of the great leaders who has seen Hollywood through this extraordinary time. Now gone from our realm — and like Chapek before him, in all likelihood never to be heard from by us ever again — he’ll have just $50 million or so to comfort him through the long nights ahead.

Let’s bow our heads and sing with Joe Cocker, the immortal words composed for this occasion, “Bye Bye Bakish”:

Now then.

Back in 2017, as I was still figuring out the beat here, I asked a question that seemed at the heart of a lot of the issues one studio was having. I put it to the readers: 

Seven years later, I think we can consider that question answered.

What’s happening to Paramount has been such a slow-motion murder that we’ve almost become acclimated to it as permanent background noise. But really, for the sake of its history, for the sake of the many great people working there, and for the sake of the medium we all love, we shouldn’t be so blasé about it.