Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy to Exit Warner Bros. as Paramount Merger Nears

Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will leave their posts as heads of Warner Bros.' film operation once the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery closes, multiple sources told Variety. The landmark $110 billion deal is expected to be finalized on Oct. 6.

The two executives will not be part of incoming chief David Ellison's management team, according to the report. Paramount film heads Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are slated to oversee both movie studios, which will each release 30 movies a year under provisions of the deal. It remains unclear whether De Luca and Abdy will stay on through a transitionary period.

The timing carries a sharp irony. News of their departure comes almost one year to the date after WBD CEO and president David Zaslav announced that the pair's contracts were being renewed, a decision that followed a run of box office wins: Ryan Coogler's "Sinners," "A Minecraft Movie" and "Weapons."

Their tenure also closed on an awards high. Warner Bros. tied the all-time studio record with 11 Academy Awards from an industry-leading 30 nominations, including a best picture win for Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another."

Ellison has kept his leadership structure for the combined company largely under wraps. Cindy Holland has already exited as head of streaming for Paramount+, yet the company has not confirmed whether Casey Bloys will ascend to the top streaming job in the new organization.

One appointment is certain: Ellison tapped former Mattel CEO Ynon Kriez to serve as co-CEO, overseeing day-to-day operations and the integration of the combined businesses.

Puck first reported the executives' impending exit. Paramount and Warner Bros. did not immediately return requests for comment.

The departures signal how completely Ellison intends to reshape the studio's leadership — even executives behind a record-tying Oscars night are not guaranteed a place in the merged company's hierarchy.