Production Team Revamped at Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. on Wednesday revamped its production ranks, with longtime production chief Bruce Berman leaving to become a film producer at the studio and two executives promoted to replace him.

Berman, 43, whose title was president of worldwide theatrical production, is being replaced by Executive Vice Presidents Lorenzo di Bonaventura, 39, and Bill Gerber, 38. Both are considered aggressive, rising stars at the studio, a Time Warner Inc. unit.

The teaming of two executives--both will have the title co-president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Theatrical Production--as equals in a studio production job is unusual, although Warner is an unusual studio in that the entire company is run by the team of co-Chairmen Robert Daly and Terry Semel.

The added responsibilities being given the two executives should help ease some of the load on Daly and Semel, who recently took on Time Warner’s huge music operation in addition to their studio duties. Warner said di Bonaventura and Gerber will enjoy a limited ability to “green light”--give the go-ahead--to film projects “under certain guidelines.”

In an interview, Daly declined to specify the conditions. He acknowledged that cost will obviously be one major factor but said no specific guidelines have been set.

Daly said Berman, who had been in the job since 1989, wanted a new challenge. “He was ready to move on. Seven years is a long time to be in that job,” Daly said.

Hollywood executives have noted that Warner has faced an executive bottleneck problem in trying to accommodate and give added duties to talented executives when the company has a limited number of top executive slots. Two years ago, Daly elevated Semel--his longtime No. 2, who had been frequently courted by rivals--to be his equal.

“The key to successful management is trying to figure out a way to keep good, talented people and create opportunities for them,” Daly said.

Last year, di Bonaventura was promoted to executive vice president of production. He was an executive at Columbia Pictures before he joined Warner in 1989.

Gerber joined Warner in 1986 as vice president of production. He previously was a partner with Lookout Management, where he managed rock groups such as the Cars and Devo.