Skydance Media named the senior executives it plans to install after its anticipated acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closes, laying out leadership for film, television, streaming, news and DC Studios one day before the expected completion date.
The appointments are conditional on the transaction closing. Skydance said the combined company will use the Skydance name and is expected to complete the deal on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
Ellison and Kreiz to lead the combined company
David Ellison will serve as chairman and chief executive, while Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz will become co-CEO, according to Skydance’s Oct. 5 leadership announcement. The structure puts the two executives over a large portfolio spanning Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, CBS and related brands.
The company said James Gunn and Peter Safran will remain co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios. Casey Bloys is slated to become co-chairman and chief content officer of Skydance Direct-to-Consumer, while George Cheeks is set to be co-chairman and chief content officer of Skydance Television.
Film, news and streaming roles
Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to serve as co-chairmen of the motion picture group. Mark Thompson will remain chairman and editor-in-chief of CNN, and Bari Weiss will continue as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Reuters reported on Oct. 5 that Thompson and Weiss will report to Ellison and Kreiz after the transaction closes.
The announced slate is designed to preserve recognizable creative and news leadership while placing the businesses under a single top structure. That does not eliminate integration risk: teams, budgets and release strategies may still change as the combined company brings overlapping film, television and streaming operations together.
Why the closing condition matters
Until the acquisition formally closes, Warner Bros. Discovery and Skydance remain separate companies, and the new appointments are not yet effective. The distinction is important for viewers, employees and investors because a closing can be delayed even after regulatory and court milestones have been cleared.
The leadership reveal follows earlier legal progress for the transaction, including a court ruling that allowed the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger process to continue. The Oct. 5 announcement is a separate development that explains who would run the combined operation once the deal is complete.
AskNovus will update this report if the closing timetable changes or the company revises the leadership assignments. More coverage is available in Entertainment and Finance.