Mike De Luca, who leaves hisjob as DreamWorks head of production in June, is in final talks to set up athree-year production deal with Columbia Pictures.

Once the contracts aresigned De Luca and his Michael De Luca Productions will move on to the Sony lotin Culver City in July.

"Mike is a true Hollywoodoriginal," Amy Pascal, chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment MotionPicture Group, said in a statement. "We have wanted to work with him for yearsand I couldn't be more excited about investing in him as a producer."

"Amy has been an inspirationto me since our time together under the Turner umbrella," De Luca added."Having the chance to produce for her, Michael Lynton, Matt Tolmach, DougBelgrad and the entire Columbia team is a dream come true for me.

"I'm hoping that as aproducer, I can continue to focus on the kinds of films that worked for me asan executive - appropriately budgeted, provocative specialised films withvisionary film-makers, and pop culture, mainstream genre films with franchisepotential.

"I learned a lot over theyears from Bob Shaye, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and [DreamWorksco-heads] Walter [Parkes] and Laurie [MacDonald] and I hope to make good use ofthose lessons."

During his three-year stintat DreamWorks De Luca oversaw day-to-day operations of the live-action divisionand the production of such pictures as Todd Phillips' Old School and Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's upcoming comedy Anchorman.

Prior to joining DreamWorks,De Luca served as president and chief operating officer of New Line Productionsfor seven years, when the studio launched its Blade, Austin Powers and Rush Hour franchises.