The big executive moves by David Ellison at Paramount this week so far have Hollywood insiders wondering, “Is anyone safe?”
Ellison is wasting no time setting his new leadership team in anticipation of Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros., which is expected to close next week. The appointment of veteran HBO executive Casey Bloys to head content for the company’s streaming platforms, Paramount+ and HBO Max, was followed by Wednesday’s announcement that Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz is joining the new company as co-CEO. (Ellison will remain chairman and CEO of the newly combined colossus).
While the two moves shed light on Ellison’s content and leadership strategy for the next several years, the imminent closing of Hollywood’s biggest mega-merger is expected to kick off a broader entertainment industry executive shuffle at studios beyond “ParaBros.” that has the town buzzing. “It’s all anyone wants to talk about,” says a top agent.
Handicapping prospective C-suite changeovers is a dangerous game, but over the past few weeks Page Six Hollywood has been collecting informed observations and opinions about how it could all shake out.
“The bulk of the conversation is what happens at Netflix, and who’s going to stay at WarnerMount,” said the head of a top production company who noted that Bloys’ decision to stay prompted the departure of Cindy Holland who announced her resignation as Paramount’s direct-to-consumer chairman on Tuesday after just 13 months on the job. Ellison appears to have chosen Emmys over fealty. Holland didn’t prevail in the unofficial bakeoff with Bloys — despite attending at least two of Paramount’s UFC bouts including the one held on the White House lawn this summer. “Cindy was David’s hire and he decided not to keep her, which is a very big signal and begs the question: Is anyone safe over there right now?”
By all accounts, Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg are as safe as it gets. The big question is whether they gain broader purview over the Warner Bros.’ film operations. If so, that could get awkward with Warners film toppers Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. “Mike and Pam have made it known that they would never work for Josh and Dana,” says one executive at the studio.
The pair reupped their contracts in October 2025 following a red-hot year at the box office, capped off by their best picture Oscar win for “One Battle After Another.” But 2026 hasn’t been as kind to the execs. This weekend’s “Digger” is poised to go down as one of Hollywood’s most epic money losers. We hear that De Luca and Abdy, in anticipation of the merger going through, have soft-floated their services to both Netflix and Sony.
“They both signed [new] deals, but that never stopped anybody from getting someone out,” says one top agent, noting the Netflix and Sony noise surrounding the pair.
Adding to the intrigue, Abdy was recently spotted meeting with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, according to multiple sources.
Neither Netflix nor Sony has film chief vacancies. Dan Lin (Netflix) and Tom Rothman (Sony) currently hold those positions, and Rothman is coming off one of the biggest box office earners ever with this summer’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Rothman is 17 months into his latest multiyear extension. And while he has made no indication that he plans to retire, many speculate this contract could be the 71-year old’s last. That could set the stage for a De Luca return to Culver City. From 2013 to 2015, he served as president of production at Columbia Pictures, and he had a first-look deal at the studio for nine years prior.
But he’s not the only one vying to potentially replace Rothman. Peter Rice, the former chairman of Walt Disney Television has been mentioned as a possible replacement. One advantage Rice may have is his history with Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Ravi Ahuja. The two men worked together for more than a decade — first at Fox Networks Group and then at Walt Disney Television — although some have speculated that history could hobble Rice’s chances because the roles would be reversed. (Rice is busy producing and serving as head of ceremonies and content for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games). Another name mentioned on the shortlist to replace Rothman is former chairman of Netflix Films, Scott Stuber, who left the streamer in 2024.
Stuber’s replacement at Netflix, Lin, is said to be having issues in terms of talent not liking him. It hasn’t helped that both David Fincher and Shawn Levy are exiting their deals with Netflix. Even worse, said talent has aired their complaints to Netflix CEO Sarandos. “It wasn’t an accident Fincher didn’t extend his deal there,” says a producer familiar with the dynamic. “So there may be two studios in play.”
Netflix stock is down 44% from its 52-week high, and Sarandos has been trying to shore up support with Wall Street. (And such a dramatic drop in stock price can prompt a leadership change whether it’s creatively merited or not.)
HBO whiz Bloys also had lunch with Sarandos earlier this year, as we told you in March, but opted to stay put. Will Abdy (and De Luca) follow suit?
One theory going around town is that Abdy may move to Clockwork, Warners’ newly launched label for auteurs. Abdy certainly has the auteur relationships and instincts but has been criticized for greenlighting those types of projects at tentpole-sized budgets, from Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Digger” to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Todd Phillips’ experimental musical disaster, “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, Abdy and De Luca were front and center at a bash celebrating Clockwork. The pair’s presence at the fest that didn’t feature a Warner Bros. movie signaled a prioritization of the Clockwork venture. (Sean Baker and Noah Baumbach have projects in the works at Clockwork.)
For his part, Bloys is known for his programming acumen. Over the course of his tenure the 54-year old has overseen some of HBO’s most acclaimed series, including “Veep,” “Silicon Valley,” “Girls,” “Succession” and “White Lotus.”
Back on the Paramount lot, Kreiz, who was born and raised in Tel Aviv, earned an MBA from UCLA and has held a number of CEO positions at Endemol, Maker Studios and Mattel, where he oversaw the company’s expansion into cinema — most notably with the 2023 blockbuster “Barbie” film, which grossed $1.45 billion worldwide.
In a press release, Paramount said Ellison will focus on the company’s “long-term strategy, creative vision and direction,” while Kreiz will focus on “day-to-day management and integration of the combined businesses.” To many that translates to Kreiz being the hatchet man for what many predict could be thousands of layoffs once the merger is complete.
“I think that what David is showing in his first two moves is that he’s going to surprise some people,” said a source.
Further reflecting the churn, Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch stepped down yesterday to now replace Kreiz at Mattel.
