Los Angeles — Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are expected to depart the studio when its merger with Paramount closes, according to a report from Puck.
TheWrap was unable to immediately confirm the report. A person close to Abdy and De Luca said that neither executive had been notified of any decision by Paramount leadership. Paramount declined to comment, while De Luca and Abdy did not respond to requests for comment.
Puck, citing two sources, reported that the Warner Bros. executives will not join the newly combined company, which has not yet announced its new name.
The status of De Luca and Abdy had remained uncertain after Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved Paramount’s settlement with 12 state attorneys general on Wednesday. The ruling put the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. merger on track to close next week.
De Luca and Abdy oversaw a highly successful year for Warner Bros. in 2025. Two of the studio’s films received Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” ultimately taking the top prize. The studio also delivered several box-office successes, including “A Minecraft Movie.”
The studio has faced a more difficult 2026, however, with films such as “Supergirl” and “The Bride” failing to draw audiences as expected. The reported departures come shortly before the anticipated weak domestic opening of “Digger,” the Tom Cruise-led movie that is projected to generate between $12 million and $15 million.
Warner Bros. nevertheless has a slate of major upcoming titles that includes “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” “The Batman Part II,” “Gremlins 3” and “A Minecraft Movie Squared.”
Paramount must identify $6 billion in savings for the merger to work, meaning the reported move could be part of a broader cost-cutting effort. Removing two studio chief positions would save tens of millions of dollars annually when stock incentives are included. At the same time, the relationships De Luca and Abdy have developed with talent throughout Hollywood could be particularly valuable for a studio expected to release 30 movies annually, as Paramount does.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison could be preparing to promote Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg to oversee both studios after the merger. According to the report, Ellison is also expected to hire another senior executive to run Warner, although no candidate has been identified.
The potential departures are the latest staffing developments involving the forthcoming Paramount-Warner Bros. company. On Wednesday, it was announced that Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz had joined Ellison’s Paramount as co-CEO of the combined company. TheWrap previously reported that Kreiz received a compensation package worth more than $46.5 million.
TheWrap also reported that CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss will not take over CNN after the network becomes part of the merged company.
“Ellison and Kreiz will lead the anticipated combined company as one team, pairing complementary skillsets to maximize the full upside of the merger under a comprehensive long-term strategy,” a company spokesperson previously told TheWrap. “Ellison will focus on the company’s long-term strategy, creative vision and direction, including its talent relationships, strategic partnerships, technology and capital allocation. Kreiz will focus on the company’s day-to-day management and integration of the combined businesses.”
Original article
Comments