Warner Bros. Makes It Official: Courtney Valenti Is Pres, Kevin McCormick Returns As Exec VP

UPDATE, 11:17 AM: Warner Bros. has made it official today. Courtenay Valenti has been promoted to President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Pictures and Kevin McCormick is Executive VP, Production and Senior Advisor. Valenti reports to Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros Pictures Group and McCormick reports to Valenti.

Valenti has oversight and management of Warner Bros. Pictures’ development team and budget and will continue to work closely with Emmerich on the studio’s slate. Valenti has also been an important force behind the Warner Animation Group with The LEGO franchise. She has been with the company 28 years, most recently served as Co-President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures (a post to which she was promoted in 2016).

Not only will McCormick be exec VP, but he will also serve as a senior consultant to Mark Kaufman, who heads Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and reports to Emmerich. McCormick is a producer on Theatre Ventures’ current Broadway show Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” having helped mount the show’s London production in 2013. He will also serve as a producer on the division’s upcoming theatrical stage play Beetlejuice.

McCormick has a long history at the studio, first joining it in 1999 and then upped to president of production in 2008.

PREVIOUS UPDATE May 9th with McCormick’s new title: Warner Bros is making more changes in its executive film ranks under Toby Emmerich, the newish President and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros Pictures Group. Deadline has learned that longtime WB exec Kevin McCormick is returning to the studio in an executive production capacity; his new title is EVP Production, Senior Advisor Warner Bros Motion Pictures.

Known as a steady hand, McCormick worked under the Bob Daly-Terry Semel and exited to return to producing in October 2009, staying on the Warners lot. His producing credits range from Saturday Night Fever to Gangster Squad.

The news comes the same day our sister publication Variety reported that EVP Development and Production Courtenay Valenti is being promoted to production president. Warner Bros declined comment on both execs.

Valenti and Jon Berg were both promoted to EVP Development and Production by Greg Silverman after the departures of Lynn Harris and Sarah Schechter in March 2014. Emmerich took over the top job in December after Silverman exited.

Warner Bros has struggled with a string of low-performing movies in the past year or so outside the DC franchise movies. Next up is Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword from Village Roadshow/RatPac which premiered last night and hits theaters this weekend.