Bill Damaschke Circling Warner Animation Chief Position

EXCLUSIVE: We’ve been hearing for some time that former Skydance President of Animation and DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke is in talks for the top Warner Bros Animation feature position. It’s not a done deal yet, and last we heard both sides were far apart. But it sounds like talks have heated up.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav was looking to fill this post, just like he did for DC Studios with James Gunn and Peter Safran, The animation position will report directly to Warner Bros Motion Picture co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

Damaschke had a two-decade run at DWA and oversaw such franchise features as as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. He also oversaw all of its live theatrical productions, including the award-winning Shrek the Musical. In addition, he continued to produce theater projects through his production company StoryKey Entertainment. He served as EP on the Broadway stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge!, directed by Alex Timbers.

Damaschke went to Skydance in October 2017. Former Pixar and Disney Animation vet John Lasseter was named head of Skydance Animation in January 2019. Damaschke, who held the title of President of Animation and Family Entertainment at the studio, would later depart.

Amid several Warner animation executives who departed in the Zaslav era, Warner Animation Group EVP Allison Abbate left in August after a two-decade career at the studio. She worked on several marquee films including the original Space Jam, the billion-dollar-plus Lego franchise and last summer’s DC League of Super-Pets which made $207 million at the worldwide box office.