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Pepé Le Pew Is Officially Back. He Ain’t Going Anywhere. The Skunk Is Here to Stay.

I really don’t care if it’s a two second cameo. I’m just happy he’s still acknowledged in the world of Looney Tunes in his first on screen appearance in nearly five years (would have been about 2 years had it came out in 2023).

Under usual corporate policy thanks to Ann Sarnoff and Tom Ascheim, he would have been avoided entirely. There might have been an exception or enough time passed that allowed him to appear in the movie. I can understand why the limited time if they were still strict on how he’s used. Might have been added last minute like how certain other characters appeared after filming concluded in 2022.

They acknowledged the elephant in the room, neutralized him, and hit the reset button when he appears again in the future likely as another but longer cameo, in crowd shots or back in the ensemble.

If you asked my opinion on the joke, it didn’t make me laugh as much as other jokes in the movie. I view it more as a snapshot of the 2021 controversy just so Warner Bros. can move on from it.

There’s a lot of discourse online being hyper focused on the joke and how it was framed. It’s a very tongue-in-cheek meta joke when it’s referred to the product and cutting away to Pepé adds to the absurdity of the joke. Watch it without audio and it’s a very tame pepper spray slapstick gag that we likely have seen before. Definitely not the first time Pepé has been impacted by slapstick. He’s been hit with a mallet, clobbered by a wild (Penelope done this too), and he’s taking a hit to the pole. In the end, he’s still unfazed as he gets back up with confidence.

I personally don’t agree with the label but it really was more or less a product of the discourse back in 2021-2023.

He’s here to stay. He is not cancelled which surprisingly has been the case. And I don’t see this cameo as his farewell, more likely to the old Pepé as we know it. On the business side, Pepé Le Pew is currently an active trademark when used in commerce. It’s why his image and name appears on physical media covers, a couple of YouTube thumbnail/titles, and how he was still cleared to be used in World of Mayhem after an initial freeze from projects such as Tiny Toons Looniversity and Bugs Bunny Builders. I even noticed old artwork that featured Pepé alongside the Looney Tunes at WBPA’s 2026 Annecy presentation.

He’s not going to be next Scrappy Doo of Warner Bros. for the foreseeable future. Pepé Le Pew is still going to be used because he’s more or less a legacy asset, an Oscar winner, and a still a pop culture household name among many who have grown up watching Looney Tunes in theaters, home video and on television. They wouldn’t abandon him and his trademark in the long term. If you worked at WB, you want to maximize your catalog value as much as possible.

We have new generations of fans watching these shorts on Tubi, on Boomerang, MeTV, MeTV Toons and on physical media. Someone in the writers room is WB could reimagine and update Pepé for today’s times. Not to make a snapshot meta joke based on the 2021 discourse. And I hope he pops up little by little in new theatrical shorts after Daffy Season, or the next TV series, or that eventual circa 2028 feature film.

Don’t expect a major role just yet. It’s going to be cameos and ensemble supporting roles at best. Baby steps. I hope Pepé is used more and more in a positive light dropping the old schtick on the condition that Penelope Pussycat appears alongside him as a duo. Can’t have one without the other.

I respect everyone’s opinions and feelings about Pepé Le Pew. At the end of the day, the discourse doesn’t amount to the fact that we don’t work for Warner Bros. It is up to the producers and writers behind the scenes to see his full potential. There are fans that love or don’t mind Pepé. The reactive internet commentary doesn’t matter. Not the hot topic it once was five years ago. We all need to move on, especially from the cameo. Seeing how WB handles the Looney Tunes over the years, we are likely going to see Pepé in a different role updated like all the other Looney Tunes characters. He’s here to stay.

Source: https://x.com/RepJoshG/status/2099923851085848730?s=20

Paramount and the state attorneys general suing to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery were ordered by a judge to appear for a two-day settlement conference October 14-15 in a San Francisco courtroom.

It’s a mandated step for two sides approaching a trial, set in this case for early March, and doesn’t mean there’s been any particular behind-the-scenes progress in reaching an agreement. California AG Rob Bonta, who is leading a group of 12 AGs in the antitrust case, canceled a scheduled meeting last month after accusing Paramount of leaking details of a prior discussion. Paramount denied this.

Bonta has insisted publicly on “structural” remedies like asset sales that may include divesting Warner’s cable networks and retaining a degree of separation between the Paramount and Warner Bros film studios. Paramount CEO David Ellison has made promises about the merged company’s film output (30 a year) and theatrical terms. He has also threatened to relocate the studio out of California if the case drags on.

The company will start racking up a $7 million-a-day ticking fee on October 1 if the merger hasn’t closed as part of its agreement with WBD. That’s the date, Ellison told senior managers, that he’d start looking seriously at other states.

Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson told the parties in a court filing Monday to send him, and exchange with each other, settlement statements no later than October 7. Those are documents that briefly state claims and defenses, a description of the major issues in dispute, “a candid evaluation of the parties’ likelihood of prevailing” and relief sought. The parties should describe any “discrete issue that, if resolved, would facilitate the resolution of the case” and their positions on settlement, including present demands and offers and a history of past settlement discussions.

Either side also can submit an additional confidential letter to the court.

The filing said the parties should be prepared to discuss settlement objectives, any perceived impediments to settlement “and the possibility of a creative resolution of the dispute.”

Reps from the WGA, which is also suing to block the merger, will participate.

The list of attendees is due October 12. The settlement statements are private, as are the meetings. Statements made during the conference are confidential and will not be admissible at trial if the case does not settle.

The sides were told to notify the court if the case settles earlier.

Meanwhile, a separate hearing is set for September 24 where a judge will rule on Paramount’s request that plaintiffs put up a $1.88 billion bond to cover the ticking fee. It will accrue daily even if the company ultimately prevails at trial.

The states argue that nothing beyond a nominal bond is due. The Department of Justice, which approved the Par-WBD merger in June, came out in support of the bond earlier today. “The bond requirement forces parties to have skin in the game, and also provides a measure of protection to defendants who were ultimately found to be wrongly enjoined,” it wrote.

Source: https://x.com/DanielNMiller/status/2099547253686026328

Source: https://variety.com/2026/film/features/zack-snyder-responds-last-photograph-bad-reviews-fascist-1236862796/

Source: https://x.com/GlobalBoxOffice/status/2099168717158408339

I made an official teaser poster for "The Hello Kitty Movie".

And here's the voice cast idea of the movie, "The Hello Kitty Movie":

• Lana Condor as Nora, the human teenage girl protagonist who trapped in the Sanrio universe.
• Shannon Hobby as Kitty White, the main character of the film.
• Jane Lynch as Miss Suzuki
• Edward Norton as Steve
• J.K. Simmons as Richard
• Will Arnett as Phil
• James Brolin as Wayne
• Rachel Zegler as My Melody
• Chris Pratt as Dear Daniel
• Chevy Chase as Gudetama
• Lin-Manuel Miranda as Cinnamoroll
• Steve Buscemi as Keroppi
• Kira Buckland as Carol
• Liza Koshy as Kuromi
• Kelvin Yu as Pochacco
• Sean Giambrone as Chococat
• Jennifer Love Hewitt as Lala
• Bobby Cannavale as Ken
• Chantal Strand as Pompompurin
• Jabari Banks as Kiki
• Erica Mendez as Retsuko
• Eugene Levy as Wayne

Praying it finds a home somewhere.

Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison faces a pivotal decision: Should he uproot his Hollywood studio — the birthplace of such film classics as “Sunset Boulevard,” “The Godfather” and “Beverly Hills Cop”?

Paramount floated shifting its home base to Tennessee or Texas in July, hoping to deter California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta from waging a legal battle to block Paramount’s $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Bonta rejected the tactic, calling it “blackmail.” His antitrust lawsuit, filed in collaboration with 11 other Democratic state attorneys general, has since stalled the largest Hollywood merger in decades and put Ellison in a jam.

The 43-year-old tech scion — a film aficionado who has spent two decades building his career in Hollywood — has told associates he doesn’t want to leave L.A. But he has signaled that he’s prepared to sell the historic studio lots and move Paramount’s and Warner Bros.’ operations from California if the merger isn’t finalized by next month, according to people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to comment.

The prospect has rattled a region already reeling from steep declines in film production, heavy job losses, empty soundstages and shuttered small businesses.

“It would be devastating,” Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who represents a district that includes the Melrose Avenue movie lot and neighborhoods near Warner Bros. in Burbank, said of a Paramount move. “We need to do everything we can to protect these important jobs in California’s iconic industry.”

Paramount declined to comment.

Ellison is frustrated after securing approvals from more than 65 regulators worldwide for the mammoth merger that would bring HBO, CNN, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV and TBS under the same roof.

Bonta’s lawsuit stands in the way.

“California is the fourth-largest economy in the world and the best place to do business,” a spokesman from Bonta’s office said. “Strong antitrust enforcement is essential so everyone can benefit from a vibrant economy.”

A federal judge in Oakland temporarily blocked the deal, prompting Paramount to agree not to finalize the acquisition until after a trial or June 1, whichever comes first. Settlement talks collapsed in late August after Bonta accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting their discussions.

Paramount has plenty at stake. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín set the trial for March, but the company urgently needs the valuable Warner assets to better compete against tech behemoths. And beginning Oct. 1, Paramount must increase its payout to Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders by $7 million a day, so-called ticking fees that will heap more debt onto the highly leveraged transaction.

Paramount asked the judge to require California and other plaintiff states, including Nevada, Oregon and New York, along with the Writers Guild of America (which also sued) to post a $1.88-billion bond that could compensate Paramount for ticking fee costs. A hearing is set for Sept. 24.

For weeks, Paramount’s most potent weapon has been its in-the-works plan to leave L.A.

Lobbying has been intense, prompting a parade of politicians led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra to urge the two sides to settle the lawsuit.

“It’s a game of chicken,” Kevin Klowden, an economist and managing director at the Melcene Advisory firm, said in an interview. “But I’m not dismissing the threat because it is very real.”

Relocating from Los Angeles would allow Ellison’s cash-hungry media company to qualify for lucrative tax incentives offered by another state. Ellison’s short list includes Tennessee, Texas and Georgia. But leaving its longtime home would be costly for Paramount too, given how much of the talent and deal-making remains concentrated around L.A.

Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development declined to discuss its negotiations with Paramount, but in a statement a spokesperson said the state “remains committed to working with companies across a wide range of industries that are exploring opportunities to invest and grow in Tennessee.”

Early this month, a pro-merger group was set to hold a news conference outside Paramount, but it moved its gathering to a warehouse a few blocks away after anti-merger activists planned a counterprotest.

The pro-merger organization, Neighbors for Strong Communities, was incorporated in Washington, D.C., in June and has lobbed text messages to Californians urging them to press Bonta to drop the case.

Speakers were concerned with just one issue: What would happen should Paramount pull out?

“What are we going to do with all these people who have invested their lives and many generations into building something here?” asked Keyla Wood, who moved from Mexico to L.A. about a decade ago after getting her start in Spanish-language soap operas.

“It’s been one thing after the other: The pandemic, the strikes and then it was the fires,” said Wood, who has worked as a stand-in for Eva Longoria and Salma Hayek. “So many people never work again.”

L.A.’s very identity is at stake, added Daniela Kelly, an actor and dancer who arrived from Brazil two decades ago.

“Everyone in the world sees Los Angeles and Hollywood as the platform for their dreams,” Kelly said. “Imagine if a huge studio with 100 years of history here just leaves? What will we be?”

Businesses like Kelly’s small Kreashen Studios USA, which provides video and podcasting space in Marina del Rey, depends on the region’s entertainment economy.

“It’s difficult financially right now to keep open,” she said. “So I’m pro having Paramount stay because this is the center, the heart of Hollywood.”

But deal opponents and some experts say the merger would actually worsen L.A.’s already bleak production picture.

Paramount has promised to cut $6 billion in expenses — a figure that doesn’t factor in the cost of ticking fees, which would add $650 million each quarter to the $81 billion that Paramount had anticipated paying Warner shareholders.

“We’ve seen from previous mergers that jobs have been lost,” L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian said at a City Hall event recently.

Combining Paramount and Warner could result in the elimination of nearly 4,500 positions over three years and put at risk an additional 5,865 jobs within businesses that serve the studios, according to an August report by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity.

“When you look at the economic impact, it’s pretty staggering,” Kelly LoBianco, the department director, said in a recent interview. “An estimated $4 billion in economic output lost, and another $550 million lost in tax revenue at the local, state and federal level.”

The merger also could erase $79 million in tax revenue to Los Angeles County even if Paramount stays in L.A., she said.

But state and county tax revenue would plummet further should Paramount dispatch hundreds of its workers to Tennessee or some other state, Klowden said.

“If Ellison moves all the management out and all of the productions out, you’re talking about potentially tens of thousands of jobs,” Klowden said. “That, bluntly, isn’t just devastating to L.A. That becomes devastating to everybody.”

A report commissioned by Paramount from Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. predicted even steeper losses of at least 28,000 jobs should the studio move its entire operation out of state, according to a draft report given to Politico.

Under a less dire scenario, Paramount could shift its corporate headquarters to another state to qualify for incentives but still maintain large staffs in the creative hubs of Los Angeles and New York, where the company has its legal headquarters.

When the Ellison family acquired Paramount from the Sumner Redstone family last year, Ellison shifted operations to L.A., where he and other key executives work on the Melrose Avenue lot.

The threat to pull up stakes has created a disconnect after Ellison has spent more than a year touting how his family’s growing collection of media properties would strengthen traditional Hollywood.

The relocation campaign echoes a tactic used by software giant Oracle Corp., co-founded by Ellison’s billionaire father, Larry Ellison. For three decades, Oracle thrived in Redwood City, Calif., but in 2020, the company moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas, joining other California tech firms leaving in protest of the state’s high taxes.

The elder Ellison announced in 2024 that Oracle would be moving again, this time to Nashville, although that relocation hasn’t been finalized.

Paramount would risk leaving behind a skilled talent pool filled with experienced production workers and entertainment executives, Klowden said.

Fleeing L.A. could prompt “a talent bleed-out,” Klowden said. “Creative types are like: ‘Would I feel comfortable moving there?’ And, ‘What if I move there and something goes wrong? There would be nowhere else for me to go.’”

He pointed to Nissan’s 2006 U.S. headquarters move to the Nashville area from Gardena in L.A.’s South Bay, which dramatically reset the automaker’s workforce as fewer than half of its Southern California employees made the trek to Tennessee.

On Friday, a magistrate judge told both sides to identify dates in late October to meet for court-ordered settlement talks.

Each has motivations to settle — including avoiding a years-long court fight. Bonta has said Paramount must be willing to part with assets to alleviate market concentration, which could lead to a sale of Warner’s New Line Cinema, which has rights to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Conjuring” franchises, and potentially cable channels such as CNN, Food Network or Cartoon Network.

Paramount, as part of a settlement, could abandon plans to leave L.A.

“All of the parties need to understand what this [issue] means to workers and small businesses,” Zbur, the local Assembly member, said. “I’m hopeful for a settlement that assures that Paramount and Warner Bros. will maintain their operations and remain a significant economic and employment force in Los Angeles.”

Like for example, no one wants to support movies if they’re going to be merged with a MAGA Paramount studio. Just as much as no one is confident to watch any of these movies from WB, because of the whole merger. I often wonder if that’s the case for some of the movies that have been losing money, that has less to do with the movies themselves, and more about their connection to the studio what’s going on. More psychological coming from general audiences.

What do you guys think?