Sipur presents this as a strategic expansion for a boutique global studio, leveraging Redstone’s expertise to create high-value IP without the bloat of major conglomerates.
Insiders whisper that Redstone’s move is a massive flex of personal influence. She didn’t just write a check; she brought her entire Rolodex to an Israeli startup, signaling she’s done playing by Hollywood’s old rules and wants to own the pipeline.
Sipur opened a London office in October 2026. Redstone joined as chair in 2025 after selling Paramount to Skydance in 2024. The studio is boarding Olivier Dahan’s ‘Nana’ and has secured rights to ‘Pimpinela’ IP.
Redstone isn’t retiring; she’s buying leverage. By backing Sipur, she’s building a nimble empire that can outmaneuver the giants she left behind.
Shari Redstone has officially pivoted from Hollywood’s biggest battleground to a boutique Israeli studio, and the industry is watching closely. After selling Paramount Global to David Ellison’s Skydance in 2024, Redstone didn’t fade into the sunset. Instead, she joined Sipur as chair in 2025, a move co-founder Emilio Schenker calls a “game-changer” that “supercharged” the company.
This week, Sipur made its boldest move yet, opening a new office in London to drive its international co-production strategy, proving that Redstone’s next act is about control, not just capital. The London expansion is no accident. Schenker, who met Redstone when Paramount acquired the rights to Sipur’s Oct. 7 documentary “We Will Dance Again,” describes their relationship as deeply personal, calling her a “dear friend.” But the business logic is cold and calculated.
With new president Ludovic Attal, formerly of Amazon MGM Studios, Sipur is positioning itself as the capital of co-production. Attal explicitly stated they are “bidding rather than [looking to be] acquired,” signaling that Sipur is hunting for M&A opportunities in Europe to build a commercially valuable, boutique empire that can pivot faster than the legacy studios. The slate is where the drama really heats up.
Sipur has boarded Olivier Dahan’s upcoming project “Nana,” an adaptation of Émile Zola’s novel that Dahan describes as featuring the “Kim Kardashian of the belle epoque.” This isn’t just prestige bait; it’s a statement. The studio is also developing “Pimpinela,” a biopic about the Argentine pop duo known as the “Abba of the Latin world,” securing rights that many other producers failed to snag. With projects like “Mirame Asi, El Camino de Noa” starring Noa Kirel and the doc “Blood Brothers” about Iranian and Israeli Olympic judo players, Sipur is targeting high-concept stories with modest budgets.
What makes this story juicy for us is the financial philosophy. Attal and Schenker are openly rejecting the $30 million-per-episode Netflix model, aiming instead for $500,000-per-episode productions that own their IP outright. Redstone’s backing allows them to take financial risks independents usually can’t, investing significantly to keep rights rather than selling services to streamers. It’s a power move that suggests Redstone is using her post-Paramount freedom to build a leaner, meaner machine that doesn’t need to apologize for its size.
