Alan Horn is returning to Warner Bros. in a senior advisor role.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has brought on Alan Horn to help Warner Bros. Discovery during a period of transition. Horn will assist Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy in running the Warner Bros. film studio.
Horn returning to Warner Bros. after his successful time with Disney is ironic because what got Horn to Disney was being forced to retire at age 68 as President and COO of Warner Bros. It was then Disney CEO Bob Iger in 2012 who convinced Horn to come out of retirement. Horn would then serve from 2012 to 2020 as chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and from 2019 to 2021 he was also the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Studios. Under his leadership, he established a successful working relationship with Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and 20th Century Studios. Horn would oversee Disney smashing box office records and help the studio with its overall structure, and its expansion into streaming.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav sent a memo this morning confirming Horn’s new role with Warner Bros. Discovery. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger has also advised Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on things as well.
This is Zaslav’s full memo of the news:
All,
I am thrilled to share with you that Alan Horn, one of the most respected studio executives in the industry, has agreed to assist me in a consultant role during this transition period, starting August 1.
No one knows this business better than Alan does. He has had an extraordinary career spanning nearly half a century. Most recently, he served as chairman and later co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, where for a period of nearly 10 years, he oversaw the production of all motion pictures and the integration of Lucasfilm and the Fox film studios, as well as the expansion into producing content for Disney’s streaming services.
Over the past six months, I have been fortunate to spend time with Alan. He has been generous and hugely helpful to me, and I’ve learned a ton about the business from our conversations. I could not be more excited to be able to continue to tap into his thinking, expertise, and stellar instincts as we transition our film business and hone our motion picture strategy for the future. And I know Mike and Pam are equally excited to have Alan’s ear and to be able to benefit from his wealth of experience gained from such an illustrious track record.
In many ways, this is a homecoming. Alan began his career with the legendary Norman Lear and partners Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin, and later co-founded and led Castle Rock Entertainment before serving as president and COO of Warner Bros. for 12 years. He knows the ins and outs of this studio and helped build it into the powerhouse it is today. He also has wide-spread talent relations and great respect and appreciation for our unparalleled collection of IP, and will be able to provide a unique and valued perspective to the overall creative process. We’re so glad to have him join us.
David
It’s a big win for Warner Bros. Discovery to get Alan Horn even in a consulting role. If I had to guess we will see some major changes at Warner Bros. Discovery in the coming months. This line from Zaslav’s memo stuck out “great respect and appreciation for our unparalleled collection of IP.” I wouldn’t be shocked if Horn helps Zaslav get Warner Bros. Discovery to look more like Disney. We could see the studio split into more divisions and have individual creative leaders. For example, Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy would run Warner Bros./New Line Cinema, someone would oversee Warner Bros. Animation (Scooby-Doo, Hanna Barbera, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry), someone would oversee The Wizarding World (Harry Potter), and someone would oversee DC Entertainment, etc. Just like how Disney is structured.
It will be fascinating to see how it all plays out but it could be the start of a massive transformation for the newly-merged Warner Bros. Discovery.
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
