Longtime studio executive Toby Emmerich is stepping down as chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group and will be replaced by former MGM film executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who have been appointed co-chairpersons and chief executives of Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
The executive switch comes after WarnerMedia, formerly owned by AT&T, and Discovery Inc. merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery in April. With the ownership change, Warner Bros. Pictures Group plans to break into three different business segments with Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Feature Animation and DC-Based Film Production, all of which will be under separate leadership. De Luca and Abdy will oversee the segments in the interim.
Emmerich first joined the company in 1992 and has led the film studio division for five years, having served as president and chief content officer. He was the chief operating officer of New Line Cinema prior to holding those positions at Warner Bros.
Going forward, Emmerich will launch a new production company as part of an exclusive five-year agreement that will see Emmerich’s venture financed by Warner Bros. Discovery, which will also have distribution rights to any films and series.
De Luca and Abdy succeed Emmerich having previously led MGM Studios as chairman and president, respectively.
“Michael and Pam are supremely talented creative leaders with a proven track record of success. We are thrilled to welcome them both to our Warner Bros. Discovery family, and look forward to seeing them take this nearly century-old iconic studio to even greater heights of excellence in film,” David Zaslav, chief executive at Warner Bros. Discovery., said in a statement.