Latest news with #SouthParkDigitalStudios
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trey Parker and Matt Stone Allege Paramount Global and Skydance Media Merger Is ‘F**king Up' ‘South Park': It's a ‘Sh**show'
Trey Parker and Matt Stone are predicting a downward spiral for 'South Park' amid the proposed merger between Comedy Central parent Paramount Global and Skydance Media. The 'South Park' co-creators took to X to slam the delays for their Season 27 premiere, linking the date change to the network negotiations. 'This merger is a shitshow and is fucking up 'South Park,'' the duo wrote. 'We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.' More from IndieWire Marvel Finally Went There with Its 'Ironheart' Finale - and a Killer Cameo 'The Bear' Renewed for Season 5 at FX Season 27 was set to debut July 9 on Comedy Central; it was announced today, July 2, that the season will premiere July 23. The Comedy Central crown jewel 'South Park' has been at the center of a threatened lawsuit between Parker and Stone's Park County and Paramount. Parker and Stone co-operate joint venture South Park Digital Studios with Paramount; the company owns the streaming rights to the hit animated series. The $500 million exclusive streaming licensing deal with HBO Max, as inked in 2019, recently expired in late June 2025. Paramount is pushing for the series to belong to the Paramount+ streaming platform. Yet the 'South Park' streaming rights are non-exclusive, and Parker and Stone are alleging that expected Paramount Global President Jeff Shell (after the Skydance merger) is interfering in deal negotiations. There are two years left on Paramount's $900 million overall deal with Park County. THR previously reported that Park County has threatened legal action against RedBird Capital executive Shell, claiming he is 'directing Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery to modify certain terms of their offers in a 'manner calculated to benefit Paramount at the expense' of the company,' as THR cited from an attorney letter. Shell allegedly was asking HBO Max parent company WBD to give Paramount+ an exclusive 12-month window for new 'South Park' episodes, among other amendments to a streaming offer. 'We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference,' the Park County letter states. 'If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public.' Parker previously told Vanity Fair in 2024 that the 'South Park' was 'waiting for Paramount to figure all their shit out' amid the election. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
South Park Creators Furious Over Season 27 Delay, Blaming Paramount and Skydance's ‘S–tshow' of a Merger
South Park is on the move, and its creators aren't too happy about it. Shortly after a Comedy Central press release went wide on Wednesday, announcing that South Park's Season 27 premiere was being bumped from July 9 to July 23, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a press release of their own. More from TVLine South Park Tackling Diddy Scandal, Wildfires, Ketamine and More in Season 27 - Watch Trailer Jon Stewart Smashes Coffee Mug, Slices Hand Open During 'Bloody Good' Daily Show Monologue - WATCH Dulcé Sloan Leaving The Daily Show After Seven Years Here's what they posted on the show's official social channels: 'In response to the press release from Comedy Central about the change in premiere date for South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone said: 'This merger is a s–tshow and it's f–king up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.'' 'What merger,' you ask? Well, it's complicated. Long story short, Skydance Media is currently in the process of merging with Paramount Global, which owns Comedy Central and co-owns South Park Digital Studios alongside Parker and Stone. Additionally, South Park's $500 million exclusive streaming deal with HBO Max ended last week, and no new deals (either exclusive or non-exclusive with multiple streamers) have been established to replace it. Parker and Stone recently threatened Paramount with legal action, alleging that incoming president Jeff Shell was interfering in their contract negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix. The Skydance-Paramount merger is expected to close on July 6, but it could be extended. So, what we can hope to see when South Park does finally return for Season 27? A trailer for the show's long-awaited premiere shows the titular town ablaze, a nod to the wildfires that recently ravaged Los Angeles; we see a group of beret-wearing Frenchmen stealing back the Statue of Liberty, following an actual French politician's request for the U.S. to return it; and we see Butters working as a stressed-out air traffic controller, failing to keep planes from colliding. Cartman being in a hospital room with a woman in labor has us thinking that South Park has another abortion story up its sleeve, and the sight of Kyle apparently turning into a turkey can only mean that we're getting a bird flu episode. And don't worry, there will be a Diddy episode, too. Watch the trailer below: Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New ‘South Park' Episodes to Debut in July After 2-Year Break
At long last, 'South Park' Season 27 has a premiere date. The long-running Comedy Central original will premiere new episodes on July 9. And based on the first teaser, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been watching the news. Wednesday's new clip starts with a series of dramatic live-action images, including an empty swing and the wing of an airplane. 'The acclaimed drama returns,' white text against a red background reads. The teaser then immediately jumps to Randy asking his daughter Shelly if she's been taking ketamine. 'Because I think it could really help you,' he adds. And with that, 'South Park' Season 27 is off. The rest of the teaser cycles through images of South Park on fire, Butters panicking as he tries to stop planes from repeatedly crashing into each other, Canadians pulling down the Statue of Liberty, the boys flying through what appears to be space alongside Diddy and Randy cheerfully telling his wife Sharon he's going to do some ketamine 'and f–k around with the government a little.' The video then ends with a creepy, slowed down version of 'Blame Canada,' one of the fan-favorite songs from 1999's 'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.' Check out the teaser, below: The time between Seasons 26 and 27 currently stands as the longest break the show has ever faced. Since 1997, 'South Park' has consistently released a new season every year. But the last time the series proper released a new season was in February of 2023. Three 'South Park' specials did air later in 2023 and in 2024 — 'South Park: Joining the Panderverse,' 'South Park (Not Suitable for Children)' and 'South Park: The End of Obesity.' But because those are Paramount+ exclusives that are typically 45 minutes to an hour long, those are a bit different. Still, this yearlong gap was intentional. After heavily covering the first Trump election and administration through Mr. Garrison, Parker and Stone said that they would not be releasing new episodes in 2024 in an effort to avoid covering yet another election. 'We've tried to do 'South Park' through four or five presidential elections, and it is such a hard thing — it's such a mind scramble, and it seems like it takes outsized importance,' Stone said in September. Now known as one of the most recognizable series of all time, Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny first appeared in Stone and Parker's 'The Spirit of Christmas' animated short. The pair currently serves as executive producers on the series along with Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the creative director of South Park Digital Studios. The post New 'South Park' Episodes to Debut in July After 2-Year Break appeared first on TheWrap.
