When Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that he was stepping down back in February, it was a surprising move for the highly successful studio exec who took control of the Mouse House after Michael Eisner’s exit from that position fifteen years ago.
Eisner was known for helping revive the company’s then-anemic animation division starting in the ‘90s, but Iger’s reign is known for his high-profile acquisitions of three of the biggest money-making IPs ever: Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm Ltd.
The Lucasfilm purchase has been a particular sticking-point for some fans, and many have leveled criticisms toward Iger’s handling of the Star Wars property; mainly for the inexplicably rushed shooting/release schedules on the Sequel Trilogy and the over-saturation of theatrical SW releases in general (Iger himself acknowledged these things later on).
The Marvel Studios-type approach of releasing one or two franchise films a year proved to be an ill-fit for the somewhat less fluid/malleable mythology of the Star Wars Universe (and its admittedly impossible-to-please “fandom”).
Nevertheless, these films were still (mostly) box-office gold, if less than satisfying from an artistic point of view.
Now, after a brief period of attempted smooth-transition to incoming Sith Apprentice (ok ok, “CEO” then) Bob Chapek, Iger has pulled a surprise Emperor Palpatine-esque revivification using a method that many would consider “unnatural” (via BlueJeans video conference-call to subordinates). All this is amidst a growing global COVID-19 pandemic that’s also having a disastrous effect on Disney’s park, cruise ship line and movie divisions, to the tune of $30 million a day.
Will the Return of the Iger bring balance to Disney’s badly hemorrhaging movie-force, perhaps bolstering its Disney+ streaming platform (currently starved for original content, in between seasons of The Mandalorian), or does this herald a new, Dark Era of Order 66-style downsizing/power-moves?
Tune back into The Movie Sleuth for the next exciting chapter (to be honest, it’s not looking too good for the younglings).
