Skydance leadership to reshape Warner Bros. film division after merger
Skydance CEO David Ellison appointed Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein to oversee Warner Bros. film labels, signaling a shift toward cost control and increased theatrical output following the acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Warner Bros. Pictures is set for a major organizational shift after David Ellison’s Skydance acquired Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio’s co-heads, Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca, were dismissed last week and have begun clearing their offices. New co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, who previously led Paramount Pictures for a year, will now supervise all film labels at the combined company, reporting to Ellison rather than directly to the CEO.
Industry observers note that the change reflects Ellison’s focus on reducing costs and expanding theatrical releases. WME Group co-chairman Richard Weitz said the merger commits the combined entity to releasing about 30 theatrical films annually, a target that former Warner executive Lorenzo Di Bonaventura described as a “net plus” for the business.
Goldberg and Greenstein bring experience from Village Roadshow and Sony Pictures and have recently secured talent agreements with creators such as the Duffer Brothers, Will Smith and James Mangold. Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman praised Greenstein’s ability to balance capital allocation with artistic considerations.
The restructuring follows Warner Bros.’ long-standing culture of high-budget filmmaking, which some insiders attribute to former co-CEOs Bob Daly and Terry Semel. With Skydance carrying roughly $80 billion in debt, the new leadership is expected to prioritize fiscal discipline while maintaining a focus on film production.