Skydance is preparing a sweeping overhaul of its international operations as its historic combination with Warner Bros. Discovery moves toward completion, and Kevin MacLellan will not take the leading role outside North America.
A Monday claim had placed MacLellan close to securing the top international position. However, he will not move forward in that role as David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz pursue a broader reorganization of the newly formed company’s overseas business.
Insiders have praised MacLellan as a transformative leader, but the decision reflects plans to reshape the international operation rather than install him at its head. Further details about the leadership team are not yet available.
The transaction is set to close Tuesday, with its operational effects expected to continue unfolding over the coming months.
MacLellan’s international experience
MacLellan currently serves as Paramount’s president of international and global content distribution, a position he assumed in 2025.
His previous international leadership roles were at NBCUniversal. He was president of international television from 2011 to 2013 before becoming chairman of global distribution and international, a position he held from 2013 to 2020.
In a 2019 memo announcing MacLellan’s departure from NBCUniversal, former Paramount Skydance president Jeff Shell described him as a “trusted friend and advisor.” The memo noted that MacLellan oversaw 2,600 employees across 36 countries and advised on the acquisition of Sky.
The international reorganization also comes amid expected change on the Warner Bros. Discovery side. Gerhard Zeiler, the company’s president of international, is likely to depart ahead of the merger with Paramount.
Zeiler has announced his intention to enter Austrian politics and said he would seek the leadership of Austria’s ruling Social Democratic Party.
Skydance’s senior team takes shape
The overseas reset follows Ellison’s announcement of the senior executives who will lead the newly formed Skydance Corp. The leadership lineup was unveiled on the eve of the official closing of the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
“I’m incredibly proud to introduce the team that will lead Skydance forward, a group that reflects the ambition behind this historic combination,” Ellison said. “Together, Paramount and Warner Bros. will form a creative-first home with the scale, imagination and technology to define entertainment for a generation.”
Kreiz outlined a strategy spanning content, direct-to-consumer operations and linear television.
“Our goals as a team are to establish Skydance as the premier Hollywood content engine and home for the world’s leading storytellers, accelerate our integrated DTC platform with the best content, leading-edge technology and superior consumer experience, and optimize our highly profitable linear TV portfolio, reaching audiences globally across every entertainment vertical,” Kreiz said.
Several prominent executives are set to remain in their roles, including Casey Bloys, Dana Goldberg, Josh Greenstein, James Gunn, Peter Safran, George Cheeks and JB Perrette.
Not everyone will make the transition. Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group leaders Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca will not join the new company.
What Happens Next?
The immediate focus will be Tuesday’s transaction closing and the subsequent reorganization of Skydance’s international business. With MacLellan no longer moving forward for the top post and Zeiler likely to leave, the eventual overseas leadership structure remains unsettled.
More executive and operational changes are expected to emerge over the months following the combination.