The bankers are trying to crunch me.
Rupert Murdochlooked frazzled but defiant.
His challengers this time were not Wall Street bankers but his own progeny.
Rupert MurdochGetty Images
The Reno, Nevada, setting seemed appropriate for the grizzled gambler.
And this was not another TV version ofSuccession.
James, the youngest son, declined to go along.
And now he and three other heirs are challenging Ruperts desire to rewrite the language of the overall trust.
His purpose is to ensure that his handpicked successor can preside over Murdochian properties and ideologies.
Decades of appeals and renegotiations might be in the offing.
In any case, Murdoch was tactful in his Hollywood interactions, carefully separating politics from filmmaking decisions.
He was more vocal when it came to Fox News.
He enjoyed sharing the details of those challenges as both news maker and news source.
With the dawning of the Trump era, however, his political focus narrowed.
Even if it ultimately meant the ordeal of probate court in Reno.
Some of Ruperts faithful assume there might be an eleventh-hour settlement one that would entail reason and harmony.
Unless those now seem like qualities of a calmer past.
