Iger Talks Star Wars Slowdown, Streaming, Roseanne, James Gunn, and “One Marvel”

Bob Iger once again topped The Hollywood Reporter’s list of most power people in entertainment. As part of their “THR 100” issue, Iger talked about many interesting topics

  • On Star Wars Slowdown: Bob takes the blame for the timing of the Star Wars movies as he says it was his decision. He expects some slowdown, but that they will continue making films while being more careful about volume and timing
  • On the Future of the X-Men: “It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn’t be two Marvels.”
  • On Streaming: Disney’s service will be a quality play with enough volume to provide a good value. He sees Netflix as a volume play with a lot of quality.
  • On Earnings: Disney expects to see a decrease as they transition away from existing licensing deals and invest in the streaming service. He says Disney’s board supports this as the transformation is required for long-term success. “It’s the right thing because we’re playing the long game and not the short.”
  • On Politics at ESPN: Iger and new ESPN head Jimmy Pitaro believe that ESPN ventured too much away from sports and towards where sports is societally or politically. He believes previous ESPN head John Skipper had recognized this as well. He believes that Pitaro has brought back some balance.
  • On Roseanne: He was involved in the decision to fire her which he says was completely unanimous
  • On James Gunn: The decision to fire James Gunn was brought to Iger and he supported it. He has not second-guessed their decision.
  • On Selling Alcohol Inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: “We have to be careful we don’t let people drink and then go on Autopia. (Laughs.)”

Other Disney Related People on the List:

  • #95 Joe and Anthony Russo, Directors Avengers: Infinity War
  • #87 Lin-Manuel Miranda; Mary Poppins Returns
  • #83 Ryan Coogler, Director Black Panther
  • #68 Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy
  • #67 Pete Docter and Jennifer Lee, Pixar and Disney Animation
  • #62 Channing Dungey, President ABC Entertainment
  • #59 Ben Sherwood, Co-Chairman/President Disney Media Networks
  • #49 Randy Freer, CEO Hulu
  • #36 Kathleen Kennedy, President Lucasfilm
  • #32 J.J. Abrams, Director Star Wars: Episode IX
  • #13 Alan Horn and Alan Bergman, Walt Disney Studios
  • #11 Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International
  • #6 Kevin Feige, President Marvel Studios