Disney CEO: There shouldn't be two Marvels! Supports firing Guardians of the Galaxy director

According to foreign media reports, Disney CEO Bob Iger recently accepted an exclusive interview with foreign media "The Hollywood Reporter", giving an in-depth outlook on the future of the Marvel Universe and also discussing the development of Pixar Studios.

There are six main points in Iger's interview:

1. Kevin Feige will be responsible for all Marvel content

Disney's acquisition of Fox is about to be completed next summer, and by then, the Infinity Gauntlet of Disney's father will be decorated with Infinity Stones from both companies. When asked if Kevin Feige, the boss of Marvel Studios, will be in charge of all this after the acquisition, including "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four", many Marvel comic IPs under Fox will be merged into Disney's existing inventory?

Iger gave a positive answer. "It's the only way it makes sense. I want to be very careful. Marvel should be managed by one entity. There shouldn't be two Marvels." So will "Deadpool" become a member of the "Avengers"? Iger said, "Kevin has a lot of ideas. I'm not saying that Deadpool is one of his ideas, but who knows?"

So what will happen to the employees of 20th Century Fox after the acquisition? Iger thinks this is a very good question. "We will absorb the best talents from both companies and appoint people based on merit. Fox Searchlight is a good example. If you look at FX and National Geographic, you not only bought their brands and film libraries, but also their talents. I have met with all the executives of Fox Group. Not only have I discussed with them the possibilities of future plans, but I am also very excited about the future."

2. Too many Star Wars series are a mistake

In the interview, Iger admitted that it was a mistake to release so many Star Wars-related films in such a short period of time, and he took full responsibility for it. From Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at the end of 2016 to the polarizing Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the end of 2017, a full year had passed, so the time interval was reasonable.

But less than half a year after Star Wars 8, Solo: A Star Wars Story was released. At this time, the audience was already a little tired of the Star Wars series, and the box office failure of Solo was almost inevitable. J.J. Abrams is currently filming Star Wars 9, and the two spin-offs, Obi-Wan and Boba Fett, were also supposed to start working, but due to the box office failure of Solo, the progress has slowed down.

In response, Iger said, "It was a timing decision I made. Now I look back and blame myself for the mistake. I scheduled too many films too quickly. We will slow down, but that doesn't mean we won't make any more films. JJ is filming Star Wars 9, and (Game of Thrones' two series creators) David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are also creating their own new Star Wars series. We will be more careful about the volume and timing after Star Wars 9."

The young version of "Solo" Alden Ehrenreich originally signed a trilogy contract with Lucasfilm and Disney. There were also rumors about the "Lando Calrissian" spin-off, but it seems that these plans are now shelved.

3. Support the decision to fire Rolling Guide

When it comes to the firing of director James Gunn for his remarks involving pedophilia and sexual harassment, Iger's attitude is very clear, "The decision to fire James Gunn was a unanimous decision made by a group of executives of the film company. When I learned of their decision, I supported it." When asked if he was still firm in the face of a series of consequences that might follow in the wake of firing the director, his response was, "I never questioned this decision."

4. I don’t want to talk about Pixar specifically

Previously, John Lasseter, the chief creative officer of Pixar and Disney Animation, was kicked out of the team for long-term sexual harassment of female employees of the company. When asked how Pixar's culture has changed since then, Iger said, "Any time you change leadership, there will inevitably be cultural changes. When I took over Disney from my predecessor Michael Eisner, who had been in charge for 21 years, there were also changes in the cultural level.

Lasseter has been in his position for a long time and has had a huge impact on Pixar's culture and creativity, so his departure will definitely have a cultural impact, but I won't go into the details."

5. Disney Play is important

As we expected, Iger talked a lot about his streaming platform Disney Play. He said that this platform meets his three goals for the company: creating high-quality content, innovating in distribution, and going global in nature. Disney's massive IP will also give them a great advantage in content, "which allows us to focus on quality rather than quantity." Disney is currently willing to reduce profits in the short term and prevent middlemen from making a profit, so that it can get higher returns in the future.

6. Respect, but not tradition

It has been reported that alcohol will be sold when the Disneyland area of ​​Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens next year, which has caused controversy among die-hard Disney fans because they believe that the company's tradition should be respected and alcohol should not be allowed in the park.

Iger is not too worried about this. He joked, "We have to be careful not to let drunk people ride the roller coaster." When asked about Mr. Walt Disney's personal instructions that alcohol is not allowed in the park, Iger believes that "Walt himself must have a drink or two at home at night, hahaha. I respect tradition very much, but even if this (tradition of not allowing alcohol in the park) is abolished, the empire will not fall."