Warner Bros. Film Chiefs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy to Exit as Paramount Deal Closes

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will depart the studio as the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger moves to close. The exits, first reported by Matthew Belloni of Puck and followed by trade reports, mark the end of their leadership tenure that began in July 2022.

Centralized Oversight Under Paramount

The executive changes follow a key regulatory milestone. On September 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved a settlement between Paramount and 12 state attorneys general, resolving the primary antitrust challenge against the $110 billion transaction. The merger is scheduled to close on October 6, 2026.

David Ellison will lead the combined company alongside former Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz, who stepped down from the toy maker to serve as co-CEO and senior leader overseeing daily operations. Feature film leadership across both studios will be consolidated under Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg. A new executive is expected to be promoted internally or hired externally to run Warner Bros. under Greenstein and Goldberg. It remains unconfirmed whether Warner Bros. Pictures will keep its full distinct production infrastructure or face consolidation under Paramount.

Contract Payouts and DC Studios Status

Following contract renewals, De Luca and Abdy will receive contractual payouts running through 2030. As of October 1, 2026, Ellison had not formally delivered the exit news, though direct calls were expected prior to closing.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who stands to receive up to $800 million in stock and compensation bonuses upon the deal's completion, hosted an executive farewell gathering at his Beverly Hills residence on October 1. Attendees included De Luca, Abdy, and DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

DC Studios leadership is expected to remain in place for now. Gunn and Safran have been invited to stay in their roles, at least initially. Gunn's contract runs through 2027, though the division's long-term autonomy remains unconfirmed.

Final Pre-Merger Release

The leadership transition coincides with Warner Bros.' final theatrical release before the merger closes. Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Digger," starring Tom Cruise, opened in theaters on October 2, 2026.

Box office tracking for the film is split, with some estimates projecting an opening under $10 million domestically, while others forecast $12 million to $15 million. Production cost figures also conflict: Warner Bros. sources cite a $125 million budget, while other industry reporting places the cost at $180 million.

Following the merger, Paramount is targeting $6 billion in operational cost savings while planning roughly 30 theatrical feature releases annually across the combined company's studios.