Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy depart ahead of Skydance merger

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chief executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are leaving the studio as it moves toward a merger with Skydance, an insider told The Hollywood Reporter. The combined entity, owned by David Ellison, is slated to be finalized on Oct. 6 and will operate under the Skydance name.

Paramount film executives Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to oversee both Warner Bros. and the merged studio. Sources said De Luca and Abdy have informed colleagues that they are in discussions about potential roles at Netflix.

De Luca and Abdy, who joined Warner Bros. in 2022 after two years at MGM, oversaw a mixed slate that included box-office hits such as the Minecraft film and Ryan Coogler’s "Sinners," as well as award-winning titles like Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-winning "One Battle After Another." Their tenure also saw projects that underperformed financially, including "The Bride!" and "Digger," the latter opening with modest earnings against a $125 million budget.

The departures occur amid a series of executive changes at the soon-to-be-combined studios. Earlier in the week, Paramount Skydance streaming chief Cindy Holland left her post, with HBO executive Casey Bloys expected to lead streaming for the merged company. Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz was also announced as co-CEO alongside Ellison.

Puck first reported the news of De Luca and Abdy’s exit.