Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy’s tenure as heads of Warner Bros. is coming to an end.
More than one source told Diversity Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. After the merger between Discovery was finalized, it was announced that De Luca and Abdy would not be part of David Ellison’s management team. The landmark $110 billion deal is expected to close on October 6.
Paramount film heads Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are reportedly overseeing both film studios, which will each release 30 films per year under the terms of the deal. It is unclear whether De Luca and Abdy will stay on a temporary basis.
The news comes almost a year after WBD CEO and president David Zaslav announced that De Luca and Abdy’s contracts would be renewed at the studio following the massive box office successes of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie” and “Weapons.” Warner Bros. then tied the all-time studio record with 11 Academy Awards from an industry-leading 30 nominations, including Best Picture for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”
Ellison is keeping the new leadership structure close to the vest, and despite the departure of Cindy Holland as Paramount+ head of streaming, the company has yet to confirm that Casey Bloys will ascend to the top streaming job in the new combined structure. However, it is known that Ellison appointed former Mattel CEO Ynon Kriez as co-CEO to oversee the day-to-day operations and integration of the combined businesses.
Puck first reported the news of the executives’ impending departure. Paramount and Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.