Leadership Change at Warner Bros.
Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are set to leave their positions as heads of Warner Bros. once the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery is completed. The $110 billion agreement is anticipated to close on Oct. 6. Sources indicate that the two executives will not be part of David Ellison's management team after the deal finalizes.[S1]
Paramount film chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to take charge of both movie studios, with each slated to release 30 films per year under the deal's terms. Whether De Luca and Abdy will remain during a transition period has not been clarified.[S1]
A Year After Contract Renewal
The departure comes nearly a year after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president David Zaslav announced that De Luca and Abdy's contracts were renewed. That decision followed a string of box office hits, including Ryan Coogler's Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, and Weapons. At the time, Warner Bros. matched an all-time studio record with 11 Academy Awards from 30 nominations, including a best picture win for Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another.[S1]
Ellison's New Structure Takes Shape
David Ellison is keeping his new leadership structure under wraps. Despite Cindy Holland's exit as head of streaming for Paramount+, the company has not confirmed whether Casey Bloys will step into the top streaming role in the combined entity. It is known that Ellison has selected former Mattel CEO Ynon Kriez as co-CEO, tasked with overseeing daily operations and the integration of the merged businesses.[S1]
Puck was the first to report the impending exit of the executives. Paramount and Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.[S1]
