On the precipice of South Park returning to the screen for its twenty-seventh season, the beloved animated series has run into some serious drama. Originally scheduled to release earlier this month, the new season was delayed until July 23rd, but even this release date might be pushed back. As a streaming legal war takes place between Paramount and Warner Bros for the Comedy Central show, Matt Stone and Trey Parker are playing a major role in the proceedings. In a new letter issued to Skydance, “Park County,” the company behind South Park, revealed some strong words for the company set to merge with Paramount.
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The Hollywood Reporter recently released a breakdown of the ongoing legal battle between the many parties involved in South Park and its streaming rights. Specifically, the outlet notes that Park County had taken an $800 million dollar loan and the upcoming merger between Paramount and Skydance potentially puts paying back said loan at risk. As THR explains, Skydance believes it can seemingly “approve and deny all material contracts,” though Parker and Stone assert that this cannot take place until the merger is made official. In the recent letter written on June 21st from Park County, the creators stated, “We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference. 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.”
The South Park Drama Continues
Earlier this month, fans were stunned when Paramount+ kept the South Park specials, and first feature-length film of the franchise, but had erased all the episodes from previous seasons. In a previous statement, Stone and Parker had stated in no uncertain terms that the licensing issue was the reasoning behind the delay of the upcoming season, “This merger is a sh**show and it’s f’ing up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes, and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”
An official statement was also released by Park County, stating the following, “There is no resolution at this time, but all involved recognize the need for a quick, positive resolution.” As of the writing of this article, there has been no word regarding whether South Park’s twenty-seventh season will be delayed even further as a result of the legal dispute, but fans shouldn’t be surprised if they’ll need to wait a bit longer to see the return of Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny to the small screen.
While we aren’t sure whether or not the twenty-seventh season is completely finished at this point, trailers for the upcoming episodes gave fans some hints as to what Parker and Stone were looking to explore. Hilarious moments such as Butters working as an air traffic controller and the United States going to war with Canada were only a few moments featured.
Want to stay in the know when it comes to all things South Park? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Comedy Central series and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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