Marvel and Lucasfilm Heads Praise Disney CEO’s Influence

It was a big deal when Disney acquired both Lucasfilm and Marvel in effort to grab a bigger youth market share, with hardcore fans of both imprints fearing the “Disneyfication” of both Star Wars and Marvel Movies.

Since that time, it’s been clear that whatever Disney has been doing, it hasn’t stopped either Marvel or Lucasfilm from being successful. The Avengers movies, Captain America: Civil War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens all earned more than a billion dollars, and even new untested properties like Doctor Strange and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story are looking like locks for big box office success. With that track revord, it’s no surprise that executives at both Marvel and Lucasfilm are showing their support for Disney’s CEO Bob Iger.

In a recent Variety spread about Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, the publication noted how Feige, Marvel, and Lucasfilm (with its head, Kathleen Kennedy) have formed good working relationships with Iger. As stated:

“Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige notes that, despite running “the whole shebang” of the Disney company, Iger finds time to “read every script and have notes on every script.” The CEO also watches raw footage from films, giving “very good” notes on all of the works in progress.

The makers of the upcoming “Star Wars” films recount a similar relationship with Iger. Working in London on “The Force Awakens,” Kennedy recalls how she would sometimes get calls from him as early as 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. (PT), offering his thoughts on dailies or marketing materials.“

Having a top executive retaining this level of minute oversight on his films may seem like the recipe for a nightmare studio hierarchy – or look like the “controlling hand of Disney” that many fans initially feared. However, Iger has been a serious pioneer since succeeding Michael Eisner as Disney CEO in 2005. He not only saw ahead to acquiring Marvel and Lucasfilm, but also returned Pixar to the fold and has been instrumental in growing the Disney brand overseas – particularly in Asia.

…That’s all to say: when your top exec is a visionary of this magnitude, it’s probably a good thing that he’s keeping his finger squarely on the pulse at all times.

Marvel has just finished another successful launch with Doctor Strange in theaters; Lucasfilm is forecasted to score a huge win with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on December 16.