‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ Co-Director Comments on Departure of Warner Bros. Chiefs
A significant chapter at Warner Bros. is coming to a close. Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are no longer the studio’s film chiefs as the merger with Paramount Skydance, valued at $111 billion, approaches its expected completion on October 6.
Their tenure included notable projects such as ‘Sinners,’ ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ ‘Weapons,’ and ‘One Battle After Another,’ which garnered 11 Academy Awards. However, reports indicate they were not included in the merged company, with Skydance CEO David Ellison personally informing each of them on Friday.
Not everyone in Hollywood is lamenting their exit. ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ co-director Michael Kurinsky shared an article from The Hollywood Reporter about the duo’s “tense phone call” on Instagram. He remarked to Abdy about whether it felt similar to the call he received when she informed him that his film was canceled, adding, “Hurts, doesn’t it?”
To grasp the context of Kurinsky’s comment, we need to revisit 2022. ‘Scoob! Holiday Haunt’ was an animated sequel to 2020’s ‘Scoob!’ that was shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery after its production was completed. It was originally set to debut on HBO Max on December 22 of that year.
The cancellation was particularly shocking as the film was nearly finished, with a production budget of $40 million and reports indicating it was about 95% complete. Warner Bros. Discovery labeled the decision a cost-cutting measure, and it was reported that the studio took a tax write-down in exchange for not releasing the film.
Kurinsky has shared how painful the experience was. He told the Film Stories podcast that he first learned of the cancellation through the media, with the confirmation call coming about four hours later. He expressed feeling like “just a name on an agenda.”
Despite the setback, the crew continued to work. Producer Tony Cervone mentioned that the team recorded the film’s score since the stage and musicians were already paid, and the movie eventually completed production. The cancellation of ‘Batgirl’ alongside it amplified the repercussions.
The Hollywood Reporter article that prompted Kurinsky’s post details a tumultuous final phase. De Luca had been hearing rumors for months about his and Abdy’s impending exit, with the speculation reportedly coming from Paramount co-chair Josh Greenstein, who denied it and attributed it to a miscommunication. The duo had also believed they were secure after an earlier meeting with Ellison.
Ellison’s call was reportedly tense, as he informed them that the merged companies were burdened with significant debt and required restructuring, with the combined entity expected to carry around $80 billion in total debt.
Moving forward, Paramount’s Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein will oversee the studio’s films. De Luca and Abdy are reportedly contemplating their next steps, with Netflix being mentioned as a potential option. Kurinsky, however, seems unlikely to be among those offering them consolation.
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