In the hours before the stunning news came that Shari Redstone had ended negotiations to sell her family’s entertainment empire to Skydance Media’s David Ellison and RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale, there were signs that the deal was sputtering. Redstone, of course, had been bargaining with Ellison and Cardinale for more than half a year over their offer for National Amusements Inc., the holding company through which she controls Paramount Global, the Hollywood heirloom she inherited from her father. But in recent weeks, the foot-dragging on the complex deal had become parodic—special committees, potential Revlon duties, media leaks, stalking horses, etcetera. Then, on Tuesday morning, just as Paramount’s special committee was set to vote on the combination, word emerged that Shari had killed the deal.