Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the talents of veteran entertainment industry executive Alan Horn. As reported by The Wrap, Horn is joining the newly-merged company as a senior adviser. WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the news in a memo today, sharing his enthusiasm about the company’s newest member. “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 1st,” Zaslav wrote. “No one knows this business better than Alan does. He has had an extraordinary career spanning nearly half a century.”
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Horn joining WB Discovery is actually a reunion of sorts for the long-time executive. Horn previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Warner Bros. from 1999 until 2011 where he helped launch numerous blockbuster franchises, including The Dark Knight trilogy and the Harry Potter series. Horn’s run with Warner came to an end when then Time Warner Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes forced him into retirement at the age of 68, citing an interest in shifting towards younger talent in leadership positions.
Horn’s retirement would not last long, as former Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger brought him into the House of Mouse in 2012. Horn would take over as Disney’s Chairman and would later become Disney’s Chief Creative Officer until October 2021, when Horn announced his second retirement. Zaslav is well aware of Horn’s accomplishments with his prior employer, as he gave praise to the executive’s roles in acclimating Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox to Disney.
“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,” Zaslav continued. “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 [De Luca] and Pam [Abdy] 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.”
Zaslav ended by referencing Horn’s beginnings with WB, noting how he sees this as a “homecoming.”
“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,” Zaslav wrote. “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.”
