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On Friday Warner Bros film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy waited for a phone call informing them of their future employment.
It came in the morning from Skydance CEO David Ellison confirming what they had read online the previous night in an anonymous report: that they would not be joining the new merged Warner-Paramount studio. That their upcoming slate of a half-dozen releases, including “Batman 2” and “Gremlins 3,” would be handled by someone else. And that their services were no longer needed.
It was certainly an inelegant way to handle the exit of two studio chiefs who had ushered Warner Bros to glory at the Academy Awards earlier this year, with the triumph of “One Battle After Another” winning Best Picture and Michael B. Jordan taking Best Actor for critical darling “Sinners,” capped off by a standout 2025 at the box office.
All day the internet was feeding
All day the internet was feeding on the unconfirmed (until now) report of their exit by Puck, with Paramount (now renamed Skydance) declining to comment. The executives were left dangling in the news cycle, increasingly angry at the slight.
Ellison called each of the executives, separately, to inform them in a tense exchange. According to knowledgeable individuals, he told them that the merged companies have a ton of debt and needed to restructure in order to meet those obligations. That, of course, is no secret to anyone. The combined entity is expected to carry around $80 billion in total debt.
They were not offered a production deal. Their film slates will be handled for the moment by their deputies, Jesse Ehrman and Mike Ireland, who are currently the Presidents of Production. Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are co-chairs of Paramount Pictures and expected to lead the merged film studios.
Both De Luca and Abdy were livid
Both De Luca and Abdy were livid at the way their exit was handled, according to individuals with knowledge of their reaction. Abdy was particularly offended and told the mogul with some bitterness: “Good luck to you. I left you 39 movies.”
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.”
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.”
2026 has been much tougher with movies like
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 predicted to bring in $12 million to $15 million.
Abdy and De Luca had no comment for this story. Paramount/ Skydance declined to comment.
The executives’ last day is expected to be when the two companies complete their merger on Tuesday.
