Summary
- Disney CEO Bob Iger is allegedly bringing back male-centered narratives after facing backlash for politicizing their films
- A Disney executive claims that the audience has equated perceived messaging in a film with its quality, leading to criticism of female empowerment in movies like Star Wars and The Marvels
- It is unclear if this pivot toward male-centered stories will be successful, as the same creatives could be in charge
Gentlemen, start your engines!
After years of woke failures, it’s claimed that Disney CEO Bob Iger is bringing back the boys, according to a Disney executive who sounds none too pleased about it.
Matt Belloni, former editor of THR and a lawyer who now heads up Puck News, sent out his newsletter which includes a note from a Disney exec.
Belloni says he was sent a direct message from a Disney exec in response to a column on Puck News about “whether the politicization of the Disney brand impacts the box office.”
In the Disney exec’s response, the exec, of course, doesn’t take the blame for the failure of Disney Star Wars and The Marvels, but places the blame on the fans:
“Everyone says ‘It’s the movies, stupid,’ which is an easy thing for people to say. More appealing movies are a great way to jump the political issues. But more and more, our audience (or the segment of the audience that has been politicized) equate the perceived messaging in a film as a quality issue. They won’t say they find female empowerment distasteful in The Marvels or Star Wars [the latest trilogy starring Daisy Ridley], but they will say they don’t like those movies because they are ‘bad.’
The exec continues with mention that Iger is now making a “pivot” which includes putting “men front and center”:
So ‘make better movies’ becomes code for ‘make movies that conform to regressive gender stereotypes or put men front and center in the narrative.’ Which is what you’re seeing now, and what Bob [Iger]’s pivot is about right now.” -A Disney executive
I love this, from Matt Belloni’s newsletter. Disney cannot fail, it can only be failed by the mouthbreathing bigots who refuse to acknowledge the greatness of their films. pic.twitter.com/83jkY4DL0x
— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) February 19, 2024
Will it work?
Whether it works remains to be seen because, just as I said, it’s not about female or male characters, it’s about those in charge making decisions and whether the story is going to be any good.
According to what this Disney exec has to say, that means fans think ALL movies with females are bad and that ALL male movies are good.
So that means the likes of the Sigourney Weaver Alien movies are terrible, the Jennifer Lawrence Hunger Games are terrible, Terminator 2, the first Wonder Woman, etc., which of course isn’t the case.
Regarding Bob Iger making a pivot, that remains to be seen.
Disney and Lucasfilm are supposed to be releasing the Rey Star Wars movie. Marvel also has Thunderbolts coming out said to have Yelana in charge as the leader of the team and the lead of the movie. Blade is said to be about Blade’s daughter. Fantastic Four is said to be all about Sue Storm. Disney+ has Ironheart who apparently is going to also star in Armor Wars…
Now that doesn’t necessarily mean those projects will be bad, but judging from the past five years worth of content that has shit on the source material, the creators, and the fans, you can’t but help think they might not be all that good.
So it seems as if either the pivot is happening slowly or big changes are underway.
