If past is present in Hollywood, there's lessons for both David Ellison and David Zaslav from merger mania 100 years ago.

A judge on the Delaware Court of Chancery has denied a motion filed by Paramount Skydance to expedite its lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery as the latter Hollywood studio remains up for sale. In a ruling issued Thursday morning,

Ellison’s lawsuit and proxy battle faces difficult odds of success, experts say, but could complicate and drag out the approval process for Netflix’s $83 billion deal

As Paramount and Netflix compete for Warner Bros. Discovery, the outcome could reshape how movies are made, released, and watched.

After multiple rejections, David Ellison could hit the nuclear button in his quest to wrest the studio empire from would-be-buyer Netflix. But this next battle may be more public — and bruising.