David Ellison slots Israeli Ynon Kreiz into executive role at merged Paramount-Warner studios

David Ellison, the Jewish entertainment mogul behind the controversial merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, has appointed Israeli-American former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz as his co-CEO. The merged entity will be called Skydance. Ellison's pro-Israel leanings have drawn scrutiny, including actor Mark Ruffalo's accusation that the merger would benefit Israel's "apartheid system" via Oracle.

David Ellison, the Jewish entertainment mogul behind the controversial merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, has appointed Israeli-American former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz as his co-CEO. The merged entity will be called Skydance, after Ellison's production company. The announcement came days after a settlement cleared the way for the combined mega-studio to form. Ellison's pro-Israel leanings have attracted negative attention, including actor Mark Ruffalo's accusation that the $110 billion merger would benefit Israel's "apartheid system of oppression" via Oracle, the tech surveillance company owned by Ellison's father Larry. Under Ellison, Paramount was the only major studio to publicly rebuke a boycott petition against Israeli film institutions and distributed documentaries about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Ellison also appointed pro-Israel media figure Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief, a tenure marked by controversy and ratings decline. Kreiz, who led Mattel and produced the Barbie movie, has supported pro-Israel causes, attending a screening of Oct. 7 attack footage organized by Gal Gadot.