Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has begun taking early-stage talks with potential successors about possibly replacing WB studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, according to a Sunday report from Bloomberg.
The outlet noted these discussions have been informal, but they come after Warner Bros. has recently suffered a string of box office failures like “Alto Knights,” “Mickey 17” and “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the latter of which grossed just $200 million after the first “Joker” crossed $1 billion and suffered poor reviews. Still, WB also seen recent success with other movies such as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which grossed over $450 million last fall.
WBD did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
De Luca and Abdy are notably set to present Warner Bros.’ upcoming film slate at CinemaCon on Tuesday. They are about to roll out an ambitious 2025 that includes pricey gambles on filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler, as well as a DC reboot with James Gunn’s “Superman.” The movie theater industry trade show begins in Las Vegas on Monday.
Abdy and De Luca are currently the co-chairs and co-CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group after leaving MGM in 2022. “A Minecraft Movie,” one of the first films they’ve overseen from greenlight to release, hits theaters this Friday.
