MGM Motion Picture Group chairman Michael De Luca has resigned from his role at Amazon, and Motion Picture Group president Pam Abdy is also departing.“We will depart our roles this summer,” the memo to staff said. “We are confident that the exciting vision Prime Video and Amazon Studios has for MGM and the organization Mike Hopkins is building along with Jennifer Salke and team, will guarantee MGM’s continued success.”
The announcement comes one month after Amazon’s $8.5 billion takeover of MGM. Amazon Studios SVP Mike Hopkins announced after the acquisition became complete that De Luca, TV chief Mark Burnett and COO Christopher Brearton would be part of Hopkins’ interim leadership team. The term status of Burnett and Brearton has still not been announced.
“Mike and Pam have decided to leave MGM to pursue the next chapter of their careers,” Hopkins said in his memo. “I know you’ll join me in thanking them for their leadership, working with each of you to bring compelling storytelling to audiences worldwide. We wish them both continued success. As I said at our town hall in March, nurturing MGM’s legacy of quality storytelling is a top priority. MGM has indeed become a home for great storytellers. And this home is only going to expand, as we invest and work together to release an even larger theatrical slate in the years ahead. Doing this requires an amazing team, and the more we get to know you all, the more impressed we are.”
According to a close source of De Luca's, he left voluntarily. The exectuvie took on his chairman of MGM’s Motion Picture Group role in January 2020, following Jonathan Glickman’s departure after a nine-year tenure, and Abdy joined as the Motion Picture Group president shortly thereafter in April 2020. De Luca during his time at the studio was known for his relationships with talent and his knack for paying a premium to land projects like Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Best Picture nominee “Licorice Pizza,” though neither was a box office hit. He also navigated the release of the final James Bond movie “No Time to Die,” and he was also behind MGM’s recent box office success, Channing Tatum’s low-budget “Dog” from earlier this year.
Mike and Pam have decided to leave MGM to pursue the next chapter of their careers. I know you’ll join me in thanking them for their leadership, working with each of you to bring compelling storytelling to audiences worldwide. We wish them both continued success. As I said at our town hall in March, nurturing MGM’s legacy of quality storytelling is a top priority. MGM has indeed become a home for great storytellers. And this home is only going to expand, as we invest and work together to release an even larger theatrical slate in the years ahead. Doing this requires an amazing team, and the more we get to know you all, the more impressed we are.” Mike Hopkins SVP, Amazon Studios
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