{"id":8090084,"date":"2026-10-02T22:13:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T05:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=8090084"},"modified":"2026-10-03T17:34:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T00:34:06","slug":"david-ellison-finally-calls-mike-deluca-and-pam-abdy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/business\/david-ellison-finally-calls-mike-deluca-and-pam-abdy\/","title":{"rendered":"David Ellison Finally Calls Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy to Inform Them of Exit They Read About in the Press | Exclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Friday Warner Bros film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy waited for a phone call informing them of their future employment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 &#8220;Batman 2&#8221; and &#8220;Gremlins 3,&#8221; would be handled by someone else. And that their services were no longer needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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 \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d winning Best Picture and Michael B. Jordan taking Best Actor for critical darling &#8220;Sinners,&#8221; capped off by a standout 2025 at the box office.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Warner Bros. Chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy Took Big Risks and Made Great Movies. Their Exit Is a Bad Thing for Cinema <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qLvla8GQc0\">https:\/\/t.co\/qLvla8GQc0<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IndieWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IndieWire<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/akstanwyck\/status\/2106058016718032931?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 2, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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&nbsp;$80 billion&nbsp;in total debt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They were not offered a production deal. Their film slates will be handled for the moment by their deputies,&nbsp;Jesse Ehrman&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mike Ireland,&nbsp;who are currently the&nbsp;Presidents of Production. Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are co-chairs of Paramount Pictures and expected to lead the merged film studios.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-wrap-read-more\">\n\t<div class=\"the-wrap-read-more__container\">\n\t\t<a class=\"the-wrap-read-more__image\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/creative-content\/movies\/mike-de-luca-pam-abdy-interview-warner-bros-sinners-one-battle-netflix\/\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=300&amp;height=169&amp;fit=bounds\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Pam Abdy, Mike DeLuca\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=300&amp;height=169&amp;fit=bounds 300w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=768&amp;height=432&amp;fit=bounds 768w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=1024&amp;height=576&amp;fit=bounds 1024w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=320&amp;height=180&amp;fit=bounds 320w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=640&amp;height=360&amp;fit=bounds 640w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=380&amp;height=214&amp;fit=bounds 380w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=760&amp;height=428&amp;fit=bounds 760w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=394&amp;height=222&amp;fit=bounds 394w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=788&amp;height=444&amp;fit=bounds 788w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=778&amp;height=438&amp;fit=bounds 778w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=976&amp;height=549&amp;fit=bounds 976w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg?width=990&amp;height=557&amp;fit=bounds 990w, https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1200_675_DSC_9836-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-portal-copyright=\"TheWrap\" data-has-syndication-rights=\"1\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<div class=\"the-wrap-read-more__headline\">\n\t\t\t<strong>Read Next<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/creative-content\/movies\/mike-de-luca-pam-abdy-interview-warner-bros-sinners-one-battle-netflix\/\">Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy on Their Excellent Year: \u2018Operate Fearlessly and Respect the Audience\u2019 | Exclusive<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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: \u201cGood luck to you. I left you 39 movies.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warner\u2019s go-forward film slate is packed with likely blockbusters, including \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,\u201d \u201cThe Batman Part II,\u201d \u201cGremlins 3\u201d and \u201cA Minecraft Movie Squared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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\u2019s&nbsp;\u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d&nbsp;ultimately winning the top prize, and multiple box office hits, including \u201cA Minecraft Movie.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But 2026 has been much tougher with movies like \u201cThe Bride!\u201d and &#8220;The End of Oak Street&#8221; failing to motivate audiences. The reported decision comes ahead of an expected underwhelming domestic opening weekend for the Tom Cruise-led film, \u201cDigger,\u201d which is predicted to bring in $12 million to $15 million. <strong>Update: <\/strong>the film opened on Friday to just $3.4 million and is now looking to hit just $7.5 million in its opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Abdy and De Luca had no comment for this story. Paramount\/ Skydance declined to comment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The executives\u2019 last day is expected to be when the two companies complete their merger on Tuesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cGood luck to you. I left you 39 movies,&#8221; was the response, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":7929711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-full-width-with-ads","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":504342,"post_id":7302570}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"20ea2010-a7ac-4136-bfc8-12173d880a45","nb_breaking_template":"pro-single-story.html","nb_breaking_from_name":"WrapPRO","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":7562034,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/email-settings {\"lock\":{\"move\":true,\"remove\":true}} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/header \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/post {\"postId\":8090084,\"showExcerpt\":false,\"showProBadge\":false,\"order\":[\"image\",\"title\",\"byline\",\"excerpt\",\"content\",\"cta\"],\"imgSizes\":\"(max-width: 599px) 320px, 600px\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/section -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletter-builder-section\"><!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/two-up-post -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletter-builder-two-up-post\"><!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/post {\"showExcerpt\":false,\"showContent\":false,\"showByline\":false,\"showCta\":false,\"showProBadge\":false,\"order\":[\"image\",\"title\",\"excerpt\",\"content\",\"cta\",\"byline\"],\"imgSizes\":\"(max-width: 599px) 140px, 280px\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/post {\"showExcerpt\":false,\"showContent\":false,\"showByline\":false,\"showCta\":false,\"showProBadge\":false,\"order\":[\"image\",\"title\",\"excerpt\",\"content\",\"cta\",\"byline\"],\"imgSizes\":\"(max-width: 599px) 140px, 280px\"} \/--><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:newsletter-builder\/two-up-post -->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/two-up-post -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-newsletter-builder-two-up-post\"><!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/post {\"showExcerpt\":false,\"showContent\":false,\"showByline\":false,\"showCta\":false,\"showProBadge\":false,\"order\":[\"image\",\"title\",\"excerpt\",\"content\",\"cta\",\"byline\"],\"imgSizes\":\"(max-width: 599px) 140px, 280px\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:newsletter-builder\/post {\"showExcerpt\":false,\"showContent\":false,\"showByline\":false,\"showCta\":false,\"showProBadge\":false,\"order\":[\"image\",\"title\",\"excerpt\",\"content\",\"cta\",\"byline\"],\"imgSizes\":\"(max-width: 599px) 140px, 280px\"} \/--><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:newsletter-builder\/two-up-post --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:newsletter-builder\/section -->\n\n<!-- wp:group {\"layout\":{\"type\":\"constrained\"}} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><!-- wp:columns -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\"><!-- wp:column {\"width\":\"33.33%\"} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\"><!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:column -->\n\n<!-- wp:column {\"width\":\"66.66%\"} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\"><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:column --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:columns --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:group -->\n\n<!-- wp:separator {\"className\":\"is-style-wide\"} -->\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n<!-- \/wp:separator -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"width\":\"300px\",\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\",\"align\":\"center\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img src=\"\/wp-content\/plugins\/newsletter-builder\/images\/wrap-pro-logo.png\" alt=\"WrapPRO logo\" style=\"width:300px\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"style\":{\"typography\":{\"textAlign\":\"center\"}}} -->\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events &amp; 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