Disney CEO Bob Iger admits to secretly killing movie projects

CEO of Disney Bob Iger recently admitted to secretly killing film projects that were once in development at the Mouse House. This isn’t really the biggest news as movie studios are constantly developing projects and not all of these things end up getting made, it’s simply the nature of the Hollywood machine.

But, with all the projects Disney has announced in recent years, it’s hard not to wonder which of the announced projects are now cancelled. I guess we’ll find out soon when the D23 Expo arrives!

Iger recently shared that Disney’s film division is “going through difficult times that need to be addressed.” He explained:

“You have to eliminate things that you no longer believe in, and that’s not easy in this industry, because either you’re starting out, or you have sunk costs, or it’s a relationship with your employees or the creative community. That’s not a thing. easy, but you have to make those tough decisions. We actually made those tough decisions. We haven’t been that public about it, but we’ve already killed some projects, that we just didn’t think were strong enough.”

Iger has been through a bumpy road since returning to Disney Studios as CEO. There was a series of movies that didn’t meet expectations at the box-off, I’m looking at you Marvel, and there was the writer’s and actor’s strike where Iger said some pretty stupid things.

Iger has previously spoken about how he will have more day-to-day involvement in the studio’s theatrical schedule, to ensure that upcoming projects are executed as best as possible. He explained:

“Then there is the need to strengthen the creative output of our film studio, which generates value across the company. To achieve this, we are focusing sharply on the core brands and franchises that power all our businesses and reducing the overall production, to allow We focus on fewer projects and improve quality, while continuing our efforts to create new and compelling original intellectual property. I’m spending a lot more time on this with the goal of improving returns , always striving to exceed the level of creative excellence that audiences have come to expect from Disney. Meanwhile, we have four of the 10 highest-grossing films at the global box office this year, including Pixar’s Elemental, which grossed nearly half a billion of dollars all over the world. As well as being the most watched film released this time of year on Disney+.”

Iger also spoke about Disney’s place in the recent movie market, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We recently had four really strong titles, and top 10s last year, led by [Avatar: The Way of Water], of course, but there have been other successes as well,” Iger continued. “That said, looking at our overall output, it’s clear that the pandemic has created many challenges, creatively, for everyone, including us. Also, at the time of the pandemic, we were aiming for a huge increase in how much we were making, and I’ve always thought that quantity can actually be a negative when it comes to quality, I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost focus a bit. And so, working with the talented team at the studio, we are looking and working to consolidate, which means producing less, focusing more on quality. We’re all rolling up our sleeves, myself included, to do just that. Obviously we have great resources, great stories to tell from the resources that we have or that we have purchased. And I’m really optimistic about the schedule going forward, which will be a balance of some really strong sequels to some very popular titles, as well as some good original content, starting with Wish, which comes out over Thanksgiving weekend. So I feel good about the direction we’re taking, but I’m aware that our performance, from a quality perspective, was really up to the standards we set for ourselves.”

Disney’s next list includes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which will be released in theaters on May 24, 2024; Inside out 2 is scheduled for June 14, 2024; Mufasa: The Lion King is scheduled for July 5, and The amateur has a release date of November 8, 2024. Marvel Cinematic Universe entries include Deadpool 3, Captain America: Brave New WorldAND Lightning. The studio’s live-action remake of Snow White it has been postponed to 2025.

Via: THR