By Hannah Ludwig, Newswire Intern 

Get the camera and lights ready, because Elon Musk has set his sights on Hollywood. In the last month, Musk invested $1 billion into Skydance, the entertainment giant which owns film studios such as Paramount Pictures, streaming platforms like HBO Max and other prominent networks such as CNN.  

The timing of this takeover is not a coincidence, as Skydance recently merged with Warner Bros. Discovery. According to Complex, the acquisition puts even more networks and services under one umbrella while also saving a projected $6 billion in costs. This transaction left Skydance CEO David Ellison in about $80 billion of debt, and it is here that Musk stepped in with his investment. Some speculate he is not done investing, either.  

“Musk’s buy-in would run between $8-$10 billion. The $1 billion could be just a start,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

This investment cuts deeper than simply a case of the world’s first trillionaire on another spree to make more money. Musk’s entrance into Hollywood could potentially assure him a spot as a major decision maker within Skydance, and control and censorship is not an idea Musk is opposed to. 

Take, for example, his attempt to remake “The Odyssey.” His AI generator, Grok Imagine, recently released a seven-minute, revamped episode of this blockbuster film. According to the Los Angeles Times, the episode was a collaboration between AI film studio Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker, and was Musk’s attempt to release a less “woke” version of the hit movie.  

Another important mention is that the newly released film by Alex Gibney titled “Musk” will soon to be released on HBO Max. The film chronicles the rise of Musk’s lucrative companies and his role in the Trump administration while questioning his power and speculating about a goal of world domination. So, safe to say, if “The Odyssey” was too “woke” for Musk, this movie might not be a hit for him, and now, after his investment in Skydance, he may have the power to do something about it. 

The film “Musk” already had a hard time gaining traction with platforms like TikTok, YouTube and, of course, Musk’s X, which has refused to run paid ads for the trailer. With a major influence over these massive corporations, Musk’s entrance into Hollywood raises substantial concern about when, or if, he will stop in his quest for control.  

He has already ventured into politics, leading the slightly shady and widely criticized Department of Government Efficiency under the Trump administration at its inception. He has turned Twitter into X, and he is, of course, a major player in the aerospace and vehicle industries through SpaceX and Tesla.  

As he has amassed such a large amount of power, the number of people willing to stop him has dwindled. Musk is backed by the current political administration, and as seen through the lack of publicity of the film “Musk,” major corporations are not enthusiastic to step up against any kind of corporate greed as long as they continue to thrive. 

The possibility of his unchecked power poses a significant threat to the entertainment industry. As seen by his version of “The Odyssey,” he is not afraid to bring AI into Hollywood full-force, taking away the artistic expression, as well as the jobs and careers that are quintessential to the entertainment industry.  

For Musk, the Skydance investment is not only a feat to gain money, but an investment to gain power over a leading industry that brings news, free speech and creative expression to the U.S.