By Matt Donnelly, Angelique Jackson
Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy’s term as chiefs of Warner Bros. is coming to an end.
Multiple sources told Variety that De Luca and Abdy will not be part of David Ellison’s management team after the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery closes. The landmark $110 billion pact is expected to be finalized on Oct. 6.
Paramount film heads Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are reported to oversee both movie studios, which will release 30 movies a year, per the provisions of the deal. It’s unclear if De Luca and Abdy will remain for a transitionary period.
The news comes almost one year to the date when WBD CEO and president David Zaslav announced De Luca and Abdy’s contracts were being renewed at the studio, following the massive box office successes of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Weapons.” Then, Warner Bros. tied the all-time studio record with 11 Academy Awards from an industry-leading 30 nominations, including a best picture win for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”
Ellison is keeping his new leadership structure close to the vest, and despite Cindy Holland’s exit as head of streaming for Paramount+, the company has yet to confirm Casey Bloys will ascend to the top streaming job in the new combined structure. However, it is known that Ellison tapped former Mattel CEO Ynon Kriez to serve as co-CEO, overseeing day-to-day operations and integration of the combined businesses.
Puck first reported news of the executives’ impending exit. Paramount and Warner Bros. did not immediately return a request for comment.
