David Ellison Unveils Skydance’s Leadership Team, and James Gunn and Peter Safran Keep the Keys to DC

Hollywood is about to look very different. Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery announced their definitive merger agreement on February 27, a deal that values Warner Bros. Discovery at an enterprise value of $110 billion and brings 2 of the industry’s most storied studios under one roof.

The road to this moment has been remarkably fast. David Ellison only officially acquired Paramount when that deal closed on August 7, 2025, and just over a year later he is set to lead Warner Bros. Discovery as well, with the combined company taking on the name Skydance.

Now Ellison has revealed who will help him run it. On the eve of closing the merger, he named Skydance Corp.’s new leadership team, a mix of Paramount loyalists and Warner Bros. insiders that includes DC Studios co-chairmen, James Gunn and Peter Safran.

At the very top, Ellison will serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with Ynon Kreiz as Co-Chief Executive Officer. The CEO Corporate Leadership Team includes Andy Gordon as President, Dennis Cinelli as Chief Financial Officer, and Makan Delrahim as Chief Legal Officer and President of Global Corporate Affairs.

Rounding out that group is Dane Glasgow as Chief Product Officer, Rebecca Mall as Chief Marketing Officer, and Melissa Zukerman as Chief Communications Officer. A complete list of the company’s new Executive Leadership Team will be issued soon after the deal closes.

David Ellison has named Skydance Corp.’s new leadership team on the eve of officially closing the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger: Enterprise Leadership David Ellison, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ynon Kreiz, Co-Chief Executive Officer CEO Corporate Leadership Team Andy Gordon, President Dennis Cinelli, Chief Financial Officer Makan Delrahim, Chief Legal Officer and President, Global Corporate Affairs Dane Glasgow, Chief Product Officer Rebecca Mall, Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Zukerman, Chief Communications Officer CEO Business Leadership Team Casey Bloys, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer, Skydance DTC George Cheeks, Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer, Skydance TV Dana Goldberg, Co-Chair, Skydance Motion Picture Group Josh Greenstein, Co-Chair, Skydance Motion Picture Group James Gunn, Co-Chairman of DC Studios JB Perrette, Co-Chair & Chief Business Officer, Skydance TV and Co-Chair & Chief Business Officer, Skydance DTC Peter Safran, Co-Chairman of DC Studios CEO News Executive Leadership Team Mark Thompson, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN Worldwide Bari Weiss, Editor-in-Chief of CBS News https://t.co/8HQGmAmXQY

— Variety (@Variety) October 5, 2026

The CEO Business Leadership Team is where entertainment fans will find the most familiar names. Casey Bloys becomes Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance DTC, adding oversight of Paramount+ and Pluto to his HBO Max responsibilities.

George Cheeks will serve as Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance TV, while JB Perrette becomes Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of Skydance TV and Co-Chair and Chief Business Officer of Skydance DTC. Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are named Co-Chairs of the Skydance Motion Picture Group.

Gunn and Safran retain their roles as Co-Chairs of DC Studios. Bloomberg reported that DC had already presented its strategy to Paramount leadership, including Cinelli and Gordon. The film side brings the biggest change. Goldberg and Greenstein, who run Paramount Pictures, will assume oversight of Warner Bros. Pictures once the transaction is completed.

That marks the end of Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy’s tenure leading the Warner Bros. film studio. Despite renewing their contracts last October, neither executive will join the merged company, according to Bloomberg.

The news division also gets its own leadership team. Mark Thompson will serve as Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of CNN Worldwide, while Bari Weiss remains Editor-in-Chief of CBS News, a role Ellison handpicked her for after the Skydance-Paramount merger.

The transaction is backed by $47 billion in new Class B shares priced at $16.02 per share, supported by a fully committed investment from the Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners. When the deal was announced, Ellison said that “our pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery has been guided by a clear purpose: to honor the legacy of two iconic companies while accelerating our vision of building a next-generation media and entertainment company,” according to the official announcement.

It hasn’t been an easy journey. Delrahim described getting the merger done as “like running from one end of a football field to the other with a stadium full of people shooting at us,” as he told TheWrap.

With the deal set to close on Tuesday, the real test begins. Investors and fans alike will be watching how this new leadership team shapes the future of some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises.

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