Dalian Wanda, the property and media group controlled by Wang Jianlin, China’s richest man, is in talks to buy the Hollywood company behind films such as Godzilla and Pacific Rim.
If a deal is concluded between Wanda and Legendary Entertainment, the media company started by Thomas Tull, it will strengthen ties between Hollywood and the world’s fastest-growing movie market.
Wanda, which bought the AMC Entertainment cinema chain in 2012, is negotiating to acquire a controlling stake in Legendary, which counts Japanese technology group SoftBank among its investors. The deal could be announced as early as next week and values Legendary at $3bn-$4bn, according to people familiar with the matter.