It's an unlikely premise, but the latest installment of "The Adventures of Barry Diller" has the 59-year-old media mogul, who vowed never, ever to work for anyone again, at the helm of a former French utility company running its all-important Hollywood assets.
But if anyone can turn a bizarre idea into a hit, it's Diller, which is why Jean-Marie Messier, chief of Vivendi Universal announced on Monday he was paying at least $10.3 billion dollars for certain assets of Diller's USA Networks Inc. as well as tapping the legendary Hollywood insider to run the Frenchman's expanding studio empire.
Enlisting Diller and buying much-needed cable, TV and film properties, marks the latest step by Messier, a former banker and civil servant, towards his goal of transforming Vivendi from a staid utility into a media giant to compete with AOL Time Warner Inc., Walt Disney Co. and Viacom Inc.
As Wall Street and Hollywood chewed on the latest plot twist in Tinsel Town, questions abounded regarding the relationship between the headstrong Diller -- who vowed 10 years ago when he left as the head of Fox that he would never work for anyone again -- and flamboyant, pragmatic Messier.
Signs that all may not go smoothly appeared almost immediately when spokesmen from the French group and USA Networks clashed over the true value of the deal.
"I will have no employment contract. I will be paid no salary," Diller said, signaling his ability to walk away from his new title as chairman and chief executive of the enlarged Vivendi Universal Entertainment unit without jeopardizing his equity 1.4 percent stake worth about $275 million.

Standing with Messier at a press conference in New York on Monday, Diller joked about these questions when he looked down and read aloud the label on one of the podium's audio-visual system controls, which said: "Eject number one."
Laughing, he said, "Better not press that. That's me."
When asked how he had changed his mind about playing second fiddle to another executive, Diller in all seriousness pointed out he still retains control of the remaining USA Networks Inc. assets not sold to Vivendi, including the Home Shopping Network and Ticketmaster, which were renamed USA Interactive.
"First of all, I have total sovereignty over USA Interactive, so I have my own company," he said. "And as far as reporting to somebody else in another context, I'm quite happy to do so. It seems to be an issue of everyone else's, not mine," he said.
While many lay odds the two will butt heads, others believe they complement each other. Some industry insiders say it was less of a leap than imagined for Beverly Hills-born Diller, who dropped out of college to work as a mailroom clerk in a talent agency before becoming one of Hollywood's biggest players.
"All CEOs are always working for somebody, whether its their board members or investors. Basically, Diller's shifting his number one constituency to an individual instead of a board or shareholder population, so I don't think its such a cosmic leap," said Stephen Unger, managing partner for Heidrick & Struggles, a recruiting firm with a focus in media.
Diller himself said, "the organization is just right. It's going to be a tension-free environment," one that will be "lively and creative, and full of the passion of argument."
"If you had two consummate industry insiders like Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz, its a recipe for a clash," Unger said, referring to a fallout between Disney chief Eisner and Ovitz, a Hollywood superagent who formerly worked at Disney.
"I don't see World War III breaking out here. I see a recognition on the part of Messier for his need to bring in a top entertainment executive," he said.
During his 40 years in entertainment, Diller has helped change the face of television, turned around a studio and has more recently become a strong proponent of interactive TV. With his proven track record, Diller is expected to lure the U.S. investors that Messier never quite won over.
Described as aggressive, charming, sensitive and overbearing, Diller this year married long-time companion, designer Diane Von Furstenburg, in February. Known by some as "killer Diller" for his vicious tongue, he left William Morris in 1966 to join ABC where he was instrumental in developing the concept of the TV miniseries and made-for-TV movies.
In 1975, Diller became chairman of Paramount studios but left nearly 10 years later to join Fox, where he helped revive the studio and launch Fox Broadcasting as the fourth network.
The latest deal gives Diller oversight of a Hollywood studio as it enjoys a box office winning streak as well as Universal's international TV and theme park businesses.
Many fear Diller will upset a system that is working well under Universal Studios President Ron Meyer and Universal Pictures Chairman Stacey Snider. "It's reasonable to expect that Diller will be more proactive. But Snider and Meyer can learn a lot from him," Unger said.