Michael Ireland — a widely regarded Hollywood studio production executive who departed Paramount last year — has found his new home. And the irony couldn’t be richer — if not a ready-made script.
Warner Bros. announced to staff Thursday that Ireland has been named president of production at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group alongside current motion picture president Jesse Ehrman, who is likewise well regarded.
In August, Ireland was given no indication that he was going to be let go when David Ellison closed his deal to buy Paramount, insiders say. But on the first day the new regime arrived, Paramount Pictures co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Greenstein informed Ireland he was out.
Now, he’ll be working at the same studio that Ellison and his team, including Goldberg and Greenstein, are desperate to buy, and are in the midst of mounting an aggressive counter-attack after the Warner Bros. Discovery board went with the bid submitted by Netflix.
In the note to staff, Ireland stated, “Joining Warner Bros. at this moment feels like being invited onto the 1927 Yankees — a team at the very top of its game. There is a real sense of purpose here and a shared belief in what great storytelling can do.”
More to come.
