Longtime studio dealmaker Steve Spira is finalizing his returning to Warner Bros., taking on the mantle he held once before, that of president of business affairs.
Spira parted ways with Warners in November 2020. He first joined the studio in 1985 and quickly rose up the ranks. In his 35 years there, he oversaw massive talent deals and managed key relationships with filmmakers, Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan among them.
Courtney D. Armstrong took over the post when Spira left but Armstrong decamped to Paramount, also as head of business affairs, in October 2021. The position had remained unfilled since then.
Spira’s return comes as Warner Bros. and Discovery merge and new CEO David Zaslav reshapes the movie division even as he brings together streaming platforms HBO Max and Discovery+, as well as popular networks such as the Food Channel and TNT and news network CNN, under one roof. Zaslav has pledged not to…
