Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are expected to exit the studio with the close of the merger with Paramount, according to multiple reports.
TheWrap could not immediately confirm the report. An individual close to Abdy and De Luca said neither had been informed of anything by Paramount leadership.
Paramount declined to comment to TheWrap.
Puck, which first reported the news, cited two sources that the studio chiefs will reportedly not be joining the newly merged company with Paramount, which has yet to release its new name.
De Luca and Abdy’s fates were initially unclear in the days following Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín’s approval of Paramount’s settlement with 12 state attorneys generalon Wednesday– which put the $110 billion merger on track to close next week.
De Luca and Abdy did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Under De Luca and Abdy, Warner Bros. had a spectacular year in 2025, with two films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” ultimately winning the top prize, and multiple box office hits, including “A Minecraft Movie.”
But 2026 has been much tougher with movies like “Supergirl” and “The Bride!” failing to motivate audiences. The reported decision comes ahead of an expected underwhelming domestic opening weekend for the Tom Cruise-led film, “Digger,” which is projected to bring in $12 million to $15 million.
Nonetheless, Warner’s go-forward film slate is packed with likely blockbusters, including “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” “The Batman Part II,” “Gremlins 3” and “A Minecraft Movie Squared.”
Paramount needs to find $6 billion in savings to make the merger work, and the move – if confirmed – may be a cost-cutting measure. Eliminating two studio chiefs would immediately save tens of millions of dollars a year, including stock incentives. However, it’s worth noting that the relationships those executives have built with talent across the film industry may be worth many times that to a studio that needs to release 30 movies a year, as Paramount does.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison may be planning to elevate Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg to oversee both studios once the merger is complete. Per the report, an additional top executive is likely to be hired to run Warner for Ellison – but a name has not yet been floated.
This is just the latest staffing news to surface this week regarding the new Paramount-Warner Bros. company. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has joined Ellison’s Paramount as co-CEO at the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. TheWrap reported that he nabbed a pay package that topped $46.5 million.
Also, TheWrap reported that CBS News’ editor in chief Bari Weiss will not lead CNN once it comes inside 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 told TheWrap at the time. “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.”
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