പാരാമൗണ്ട്-വാർണർ ബ്രോസ് ലയനം: സ്കൈഡാൻസ് നേതൃത്വത്തിൽ ആരൊക്കെ തുടരും, ആരെല്ലാം പുറത്തേക്ക്?

As Paramount Skydance prepares to complete its $110 billion-plus acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, the leadership structure of the combined entertainment company is becoming clearer. The new parent company will be called Skydance, with the transaction expected to close on October 6. David Ellison will remain chairman and CEO, while former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz will join as co-CEO.

Several senior Paramount executives are set to take on expanded responsibilities, while some of Warner Bros. Discovery's top leadership will depart. Here is a look at the executives staying, those leaving and their key achievements.

Who is staying?

David Ellison — Chairman and CEO

David Ellison will remain at the helm of the combined company as chairman and CEO. Paramount said Ellison will oversee strategy, creative and technology, while Kreiz will handle day-to-day operations and integration.

Ellison founded Skydance Media and built it into a major film and television production company. Its film credits include franchises such as Mission: Impossible, Top Gun and Transformers. His role in the Paramount-Warner Bros deal makes him the central figure in the new company's strategy and creative direction.

Ellison has also chosen the name Skydance for the merged company, saying the name is intended to give the combined business its own identity while preserving the Paramount and Warner Bros brands.

Ynon Kreiz — Co-CEO

Ynon Kreiz will join Ellison as co-CEO on October 5, one day before the planned closing. He will oversee daily operations and the integration of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Dana Goldberg — Expanded film role

Paramount Pictures co-chair Dana Goldberg is staying and is expected to take on an expanded role overseeing the combined film business.

Deadline reported that Goldberg and fellow Paramount Pictures co-chair Josh Greenstein are poised to run the merged Paramount-Warner Bros film operation.

Goldberg previously served as chief creative officer at Skydance Media and helped establish Skydance Television, giving her experience on both the Paramount and Skydance sides of the new company.

Josh Greenstein — Expanded film role

Josh Greenstein, Paramount Pictures co-chair and vice chair of Paramount platforms, is also staying.

Greenstein and Goldberg are expected to assume oversight of Warner Bros. Pictures following the transaction, according to Bloomberg reporting cited in the material provided. Deadline likewise reported that the pair are set to run the combined film unit.

Their expanded responsibilities mean Paramount's existing studio leadership will oversee film operations spanning both Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.

James Gunn and Peter Safran — DC Studios

James Gunn and Peter Safran are staying and will continue to lead DC Studios.

Deadline reported that the duo will continue running Warner Bros.' DC film, television and comic-book production operation after Paramount closes the acquisition.

Gunn's filmmaking credits include Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy films and DC's The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Safran is a veteran producer whose credits include several major DC films.

The pair have been developing a long-term plan for the DC Universe, including films and television projects based on characters such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Casey Bloys — Combined streaming operations

Casey Bloys, the head of HBO and HBO Max, is poised to oversee the combined streaming operation, according to Variety.

The move follows Cindy Holland's departure from Paramount's streaming and direct-to-consumer business. Variety reported that Bloys is expected to take charge of the combined Paramount+ and HBO Max operation, although the company had not formally announced the appointment at the time of the report.

Bloys has been a senior HBO executive for years and has overseen programming during a period that produced major HBO successes including Succession and The White Lotus.

Who is departing?

David Zaslav — Warner Bros. Discovery CEO

David Zaslav is expected to leave when the Paramount-Warner Bros deal closes.

Zaslav became CEO of Discovery in 2006 and later oversaw its 2022 combination with WarnerMedia that created Warner Bros. Discovery. His tenure included a major restructuring of the company and its streaming strategy.

Variety reported that Zaslav could receive more than $550 million in stock and cash, including $34.2 million in cash severance, once the deal closes.

His departure will mark the end of his leadership of WBD as the company enters the new Skydance structure.

Michael De Luca — Warner Bros. film chief

Michael De Luca, co-head of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, will leave and will not join the combined company.

Variety confirmed De Luca's departure, while Bloomberg had previously reported that he and Pamela Abdy would not be part of the new studio structure.

De Luca's career has included senior positions at New Line Cinema, DreamWorks and MGM. He and Abdy took over Warner Bros.' film operation in 2022.

Pamela Abdy — Warner Bros. film chief

Pamela Abdy, De Luca's co-head at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, will also depart.

Variety reported that both Abdy and De Luca are leaving as Goldberg and Greenstein take on expanded responsibility for the combined film operations.

Abdy previously held senior film positions at MGM and helped oversee Warner Bros.' theatrical slate during her tenure.

Cindy Holland — Paramount streaming chief

Cindy Holland, who led Paramount's streaming and direct-to-consumer operations, has departed ahead of the merger.

Gunnar Wiedenfels — WBD CFO

Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner Bros. Discovery's chief financial officer, is expected to depart following the merger.

Variety reported that Wiedenfels was among the senior WBD executives expected to leave.

He served as WBD's CFO during the company's post-merger integration and restructuring.

Bruce Campbell — WBD strategy and revenue chief

Bruce Campbell, WBD's chief revenue and strategy officer, is also expected to exit.

His departure, alongside Zaslav and Wiedenfels, represents a significant change to the senior management team inherited from Warner Bros. Discovery.

Paramount-Warner Bros merger: New company to be called Skydance

The combined company emerging from the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger will be called Skydance, Chairman and CEO David Ellison has confirmed. The name comes from Ellison’s original film production company, Skydance Media.

Ellison said the new identity is intended to give the combined company its own corporate identity while preserving the distinct legacies and brands of Paramount and Warner Bros.

The merger is scheduled to close on October 6. It will bring together Paramount and Warner Bros. studios, HBO Max and Paramount+, as well as television businesses including CBS, CNN, MTV, TBS, Comedy Central and Food Network.

Skydance will be led by David Ellison as chairman and CEO, with former Mattel chief Ynon Kreiz joining as co-CEO on October 5.

The deal cleared its final major legal hurdle after a US judge approved a settlement between Paramount and attorneys general from 12 states that had challenged the merger. Paramount subsequently set October 6 as the expected closing date.