EXCLUSIVE: They have the best seats in the house.
01.06.2022 - 20:21 / thewrap.com
announced they would exit their roles as Motion Picture Group chairman and president this summer after Amazon completed its $8.5 billion acquisition of the storied studio. The move is a homecoming for DeLuca, who joined Warner’s New Line Cinema as an intern at age 19 and rose to president of production.
In 2001, after a series of big-budget flops like Adam Sandler’s “Little Nicky” and Kevin Costner’s “13 Days,” DeLuca was sacked from the studio — and replaced by Toby Emmerich. DeLuca then moved to DreamWorks before heading into film production.
In 2020, he took over as chairman of MGM’s Motion Picture Group, following Jonathan Glickman’s departure after a nine-year tenure, and Abdy joined as the Motion Picture Group president shortly thereafter in April 2020. De Luca’s resignation came as a shock to many within the organization, even as others await the fate of TV head Mark Burnett and whether he will remain within Amazon.De Luca during his time at the studio was known for his relationships with talent and his knack for paying a premium to land projects like Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Best Picture nominee “Licorice Pizza,” though neither was a box office hit.
He also navigated the release of the final James Bond movie “No Time to Die,” and he was also behind MGM’s recent box office success, Channing Tatum’s low-budget “Dog” from earlier this year.In 2016, Emmerich replaced Greg Silverman as President and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Emmerich has held a President and COO title at New Line Cinema since 2008.The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.A representative for Warner Bros. did not respond to request for comment.
.EXCLUSIVE: They have the best seats in the house.
Nancy Grace’s ‘Bloodline Detectives’ Set For Season Three
Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards, Features EditorIf you happened to catch the new Adam Sandler film “Hustle” on Netflix over the weekend — as many did, judging by the fact it immediately shot to #1 on the streamer — you might have been intrigued by the actor starring opposite the comedy legend. Sandler plays a Philadelphia 76ers scout named Stanley Sugarman who believes he’s found the next NBA star in Bo Cruz, a temperamental Spanish player who is more than a little rough around the edges. For the role of Cruz, director Jeremiah Zagar needed to find a great actor who could also play basketball.
EXCLUSIVE: Prolific film and television producer Liza Chasin (Made For Love, The Lost City) has signed a first look deal with Endeavor Content to develop and produce premium, talent-driven television series through her 3dot Productions.
Carson Burton The NBA’s favorite nice guy is now dribbling his way into the hearts of movie fans.Boban Marjanović, a center on the Dallas Mavericks, stars in the second film of his career with the new Adam Sandler film “Hustle,” now on Netflix. The film follows Sandler’s character, a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, as he discovers and transforms a Spanish player played by Utah Jazz power forward Juancho Hernangomez.
Blackwood’s departure was an expected step in the ongoing leadership shift at the studio under Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who is installing his own leaders and organizational structure.
Following the departure of Toby Emmerich as Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Boss, his fellow associate, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group COO Carolyn Blackwood is leaving. This is all ahead of Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy coming in to run the motion picture group under Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterVeteran Warner Bros. executive and film division chief operating officer Carolyn Blackwood is parting ways with the studio, sources told Variety.Her resignation follows a week after word that her boss Toby Emmerich, chairman of the motion picture group, will transition to lot producer later this year. The regime changes come as Warner Bros.
Toby Emmerich had a meal with Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy at the Polo Lounge, a hub of deal-making and power lunches, in a move that was clearly designed to send a signal of solidarity to Hollywood. The bread-breaking, which went down as show business players like producer Donald De Line and CAA agent Joel Lubin dined nearby, came just a day after Emmerich announced that he will step down as head of Warner Bros.’ film studio. De Luca, who worked with Emmerich back in the day at New Line, and Abdy will soon join the company, though in a reduced role; they will oversee Warner Bros.
Toby Emmerich’s exit as chairman of the Warner Bros. Pictures group, and the ascension of former MGM film leaders Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, are just the latest instances of upheaval in what is already shaping up to be a tempestuous new era at the studio behind Harry Potter and Batman.Emmerich’s ouster has been gossiped about for years, dating back well before the company was sold to Discovery. Still, his decision to leave for a production deal stunned executives on the studio’s Burbank lot, many of whom had worked with Emmerich for decades.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on Wednesday dropped his memo to staff about Toby Emmerich stepping down as Chairman of the Motion Picture Group and the three new studio divisions being put in place. It’s a slightly similar structure to the way Disney handles its franchise brands, with the hope that DC will have its own Kevin Feige maestro to exploit IP across all mediums.
Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterWarner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has finally committed to paper a new strategy for the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.In a Wednesday memo to his staff obtained by Variety, Zaslav told studio employees that he will create “three distinct film segments around Warner Bros.
Below is Toby Emmerich’s departure note to staff at Warners:
Toby Emmerich is out as the head of Warner Bros. motion picture studio. Replacing him are Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who recently exited the helm of MGM. This had been rumored since before they exited that studio (they’ll stay into the summer until their contracts expire). This is part of Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s grand plan to split Warner Bros into multiple labels, with Warner Bros proper/New Line, DC Entertainment and Animation.
The Boston Celtics secured a spot in the 2022 NBA Finals on Sunday with a Game 7 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. It is the first NBA Finals appearance in 12 years for Boston, which will now face the Golden State Warriors in the best-of-7 championship series beginning Thursday.
French actress Léa Seydoux is having a big moment right now at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. Not only is she set to star in the latest film from director David Cronenberg, “Crimes Of The Future” (read our review), but she is also the lead in Mia Hansen-Løve’s “One Fine Morning” (read our review) But there is another project she is opening up about that she almost did.
Naman Ramachandran Revered cinematographer Darius Khondji loves to shoot on film but has made his peace with digital, he revealed in a masterclass at Cannes on Thursday. “It’s just so sexy to shoot on film, the texture is beautiful, it looks great on skin tones,” Khondji said.