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Emmerich has served as chairman of the studio
since 2018, the year the studio had its greatest box office
success, fueled by such hits as "Aquaman," "Fantastic Beasts:
The Crimes of Grindelwald," "Ready Player One," "The Meg" and "A
Star is Born."
He will be succeeded by MGM's Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, the
duo behind such acclaimed films as "Licorice Pizza" and "House
of Gucci," according to two sources.
The transition comes as Zaslav restructures the film studio
around content verticals, in the mold of the Walt Disney Co,
according to one of the sources.
DeLuca and Abdy will oversee Warner Bros and New Line studios,
which have produced the Harry Potter movies and Oscar-nominated
films such as "Judas and the Black Messiah." DC Films and the
animation group each will have their own leadership, with all
the studio executives reporting to Zaslav.
Emmerich, a screenwriter who also has an extensive list of
producing credits, will launch his own production company at the
studio, focused on film, television and streaming. As part of a
five-year agreement, Warner Bros Discovery said it would finance
Emmerich's venture and have distribution rights. His departure
after 30 years with the studio was first reported by The
Hollywood Reporter.
Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke will oversee MGM's film
group on an interim basis until a replacement is named, one
source said. Amazon closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM
in March.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Chizu
Nomiyiama and David Gregorio)
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