A domino Pd-catalyzed reaction of 1-(2-bromophenyl)ethanones for the synthesis of novel 7-methyl-5H-dibenzo[a,c][7]annulen-5-ones, a carbon core structure present in colchicinoid natural products, is presented. The reaction is proposed to proceed via intermolecular homobiaryl coupling and intramolecular aldol condensation. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart . New York.