Disney CEO Bob Iger Addresses Quiet Cancellations of Projects, Denies Superhero Fatigue as Reason for Marvel’s 2023 Film Slate Disappointments.
During his keynote speech at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in San Francisco yesterday, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared insights into the company’s film output and strategies to rebound after a challenging 2023.
Iger acknowledged that Disney had missed its usual box office benchmarks in 2023 but assured attendees that the company was taking proactive steps to address the situation. Notably, he revealed that Disney had decided to shelve certain projects deemed unlikely to succeed, despite incurring pre-production expenses.
The announcement caught the attention of MCU and Star Wars fans, who eagerly awaited updates on their favourite franchises.
“You have to kill things you no longer believe in, and that’s not easy in this business, because either you’ve gotten started, you have some sunk costs, or it’s a relationship with either your employees or with the creative community.
“It’s not an easy thing, but you got to make those tough calls. We’ve actually made those tough calls. We’ve not been that public about it, but we’ve killed a few projects already that we just didn’t feel were strong enough.”
Bob Iger
The Marvel and Star Wars fandoms are abuzz with speculation following Disney CEO Bob Iger’s recent comments. Many fans are questioning the fate of several previously announced projects that have remained inactive and lack release dates.
In particular, Disney+ Marvel series such as Ironheart, Wonder Man, Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man have yet to receive any updates or release dates. Vision Quest, another project, has also been shrouded in mystery with no recent updates.
On the Star Wars front, the Nova project announced for Disney+ in 2022 has seemingly vanished without any updates, leaving fans puzzled.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both Shang-Chi 2 and Armor Wars have yet to begin production and do not have set release dates, leaving fans to speculate on their status within the film slate.
The question remains: have these projects been quietly cancelled or simply pushed further down the slate into Phase 6 or beyond? Fans eagerly await official updates from Disney and Marvel Studios to clarify the situation.
On the Star Wars front, Taika Waititi’s Untitled Star Wars Movie and Shawn Levy’s Untitled Star Wars Movie remain in limbo without clear direction or release dates. Additionally, Star Wars projects from Patty Jenkins and Kevin Feige appear to have quietly fallen into the “canceled” category as well.
Disney CEO Bob Iger emphasized his increased focus on the company’s film division, revealing that he has been personally involved in the creative process. He described spending considerable time with creators, providing detailed feedback and engaging in a collaborative process to enhance the quality of films. However, some fans speculate that Iger’s increased involvement may be perceived as encroaching on the territories of established figures like Kevin Feige and Dave Filoni, as Disney aims to replicate its past success with billion-dollar box office hits.
Addressing concerns of superhero fatigue affecting Marvel’s recent output post-Avengers: Endgame, Iger dismissed the notion, highlighting his confidence in the franchise’s enduring appeal.
“A lot of people think it’s audience fatigue, it’s not audience fatigue. They want great films. And if you build it great, they will come and there are countless examples of that. Some are ours and some are others’. Oppenheimer is a perfect example of that. Just a fantastic film.”
“Focus is really important. We reduced the output of Marvel, both number of films they make and the number of TV shows, and that really becomes critical, but I feel good about the team. I feel good about the IP we’re making. I talked about a lot of the projects. We look years ahead, really. And it’s iterative.”
“Not only do you look at the films you’re making, you look at every part of that process, who the directors are, who’s being cast, reading scripts, I personally watch films three to five times with the team and just create a culture of excellence and respect, which is really important with the creative community. And again, the track record speaks for itself.”
Bob Iger
Iger continued by specifically referencing Deadpool and Wolverine as indicators that Marvel is on the brink of a turnaround. He added that the Ryan Reynolds-led film.
“It will be one of the more successful Marvel movies we’ve had in a long time.”
Bob Iger
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