Warner loses the duo who called Snyder back

Warner’s two film chiefs are not moving into the new house. Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy are left out of David Ellison’s team when Paramount Skydance takes over on Tuesday, October 6. Puck, the Hollywood insider newsletter, broke it on Thursday night, the 1st, and Variety confirmed it with multiple sources.

If you just landed here: the judge cleared the sale on Wednesday, the 30th, as we reported in Judge clears the sale of Warner. De Luca and Abdy came from MGM, the James Bond studio, and were announced on June 1, 2022, replacing Toby Emmerich, who ran Warner’s film division back when 2017’s Justice League was made. They arrived after Snyder was already gone. And DC was never theirs: DC Studios, run by James Gunn and Peter Safran, has reported directly to David Zaslav since 2022.

Under the duo, Warner had a strong 2025, with Sinners, A Minecraft Movie, contract renewals in October and, later, the Best Picture Oscar for One Battle After Another. But 2026 weighed on them: TheWrap, the Hollywood news site, points out that Supergirl and The Bride! did not draw audiences.

Taking their place, according to Variety and Puck, are Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg, who run Paramount’s film division, overseeing both studios. Officially, nothing has been announced: Paramount and Warner declined to comment, and someone close to the duo told TheWrap that Paramount had not even told them yet.

So why does this matter to Snyder fans? Because this is the duo that opened Warner’s door to him again. In August, they invited Snyder to present Excalibur, one of his favorite films, to employees in Burbank, with a conversation with the two of them at the end. According to Page Six, the gossip column, it was a hero’s welcome, with a packed room and people standing. That night is in Snyder turned down the Marvel formula.

Seeing the people behind that gesture walk out is a loss. Now look at who handles the artists at the new company.

Ellison will focus on the company’s long-term strategy, creative vision and direction, including its talent relationships

Paramount Skydance spokesperson to TheWrap, 09/30/2026

Talent, in Hollywood language, means actors and directors. And Ellison is the man Snyder told Variety, in September, that he would love to talk to, as we covered in Snyder wants a word with DC’s future owner. A return through Paramount is still unconfirmed. But in place of the two allies from August, the person handling the artists is the very man he named. To us, that conversation just got closer, not further away.