Warner Bros film chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are not expected to join the combined Paramount Warner Bros motion picture unit, clearing the way for current Paramount film co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg to run the group, according to multiple reports.
The change lands during a difficult moment for the studio: Tom Cruise’s social satire Digger, a film reported to cost $125M-$160M or more, is heading for an opening near $30M worldwide or lower.
Why the transition is happening now
De Luca and Abdy have run Warner Bros since June 2022, after moving from MGM. They renewed contracts under Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav through 2030, but those terms included reporting directly to the CEO—not into other film chairs. Under the new Skydance-led structure, sources say, reporting into Greenstein and Goldberg was not a likely arrangement. Paramount co-CEO David Ellison is expected to lean on the Paramount team he has worked with for years.
The exact role for De Luca and Abdy is still under discussion, and a producing contract inside Skydance is possible. The full executive chart is expected in a matter of days.
The numbers behind the handover
- The merged studio inherits about 71 dated features through 2028; 56% of that slate came from De Luca and Abdy’s Warner Bros.
- Their 2025 slate grossed roughly $4.37 billion globally and delivered 30 Oscar nominations, tying the studio’s 2005 record, with 11 wins including Best Picture for One Battle After Another.
- But 2026 has been weaker: Warner Bros domestic box office from January 1 to October 1 was $448.4M, just ahead of Paramount’s $429.8M.
- The combined Paramount-Warner total would be $878.2M for North America—still behind Universal ($1.8B), Disney ($1.55B) and Sony ($1.28B).
Paramount’s year was slightly more reliable at the high end, with Scream 7 and Miramax’s Scary Movie both crossing $100M domestic.
The slate has bright spots, including the potential $1 billion global holiday tentpole Dune: Part Three from Warner Bros and Legendary. But the new film group also inherits recent misfires: The Bride and Supergirl did not cross $100M domestic, and no Warners title has hit that mark stateside this year.
What the wider integration signals
The streaming and television layers are also being set. Casey Bloys is tapped as streaming head for the combined Paramount-WBD business, with current Paramount direct-to-consumer chair Cindy Holland departing. Mark Thompson is expected to stay overseeing CNN.
Paramount said Ellison ‘will focus on the company’s long-term strategy, creative vision and direction, including its talent relationships, strategic partnerships, technology and capital allocation,’ while co-CEO Ynon Kreiz handles day-to-day management and integration.
What to do with this news
For media planners and entertainment marketers, this is less about the names and more about continuity risk. The unit that produced much of the 2026 slate is changing leadership before the 2027 pipeline locks. Watch the next round of announcements for marketing and distribution reporting lines, not just greenlight authority.
- Do track the formal leadership chart within days, and map it to your slate commitments.
- Do rebase 2026 planning around the combined studio’s fourth-place domestic position, not the 2025 high-water mark.
- Don’t assume contracts signed before the merger guarantee creative or distribution continuity.
- Don’t ignore Paramount’s own soft 2026 numbers when building partner forecasts.
Source: Deadline
