David Ellison's Paramount Skydance makes its bullish pitch to Hollywood

About a dozen industry insiders who spoke to NBC News said Paramount Skydance is aggressively closing deals with top talent.

LOS ANGELES — When Paramount executives met with Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning over Zoom in September about a sexy new legal thriller the actresses are producing with A24, they made a passionate case for why the project should land at their studio.

Executives told the A-listers that the show, titled “Discretion,” could help entice a new, more female-driven audience to Paramount+, according to multiple sources who were at the meeting. Their pitch — along with a bid that beat out six other studios — worked.

Within days, the deal was done, making “Discretion” the latest among dozens of agreements the David Ellison-owned studio has closed since the $8 billion merger between Skydance and Paramount Global was completed in August.

Executives at the studio have been making a bullish pitch to many Hollywood players and spending big for high profile projects. About a dozen industry insiders who spoke to NBC News — including talent agents, producers and executives — said the studio is aggressively closing deals with top talent and signaling to the entertainment industry what the tech-driven future of the company will look like.

In addition to “Discretion,” Paramount has landed a Timothée Chalamet-starring crime drama, a four-year film, TV and streaming deal with the Duffer brothers (the duo behind “Stranger Things”) and a multipicture deal with Will Smith’s production company. Many who were interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying they’re wary of discussing Ellison on the record as they try to broker deals with the studio and its competitors.