Everything happening in the WIRED world of culture is covered in The Monitor.
Bob Iger reclaimed his position as CEO of Disney earlier this week in a move that was characterized as an implausible screenplay. You may be wondering if Bob Iger was Disney's last CEO. He took the crown from Bob Chapek, who Disney's board just fired. All of that raises another question.
It has been nearly a year since Bob moved. The company's pivot-to-streaming helped it keep up with the industry but also led to the disappearance of millions of dollars in "peak" losses. The company's fumbled response to Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill seemed to weaken Wall Street confidence. The return of Iger, who is respected by investors and creatives, signals a bold move.
That is just money and not much else. The direction he takes Disney's intellectual property will be the biggest impact of Iger's return. Disney makes blockbusters and they weren't in high demand during much of his tenure. The mastermind behind Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm was Robert Iger. Those are two of the most important jewels in the Disney crown.
Iger has always been a fair father. Two of the company's franchises are past their 10-year anniversary. He knows when to stop. He was aggressive in buying 21st Century Fox, but also pulled back when he realized Lucasfilm was making too many Star Wars movies.
Iger resumed his duties immediately after news of his emplacement became public. CNN speculated about whether Bob Iger could fix Disney. There is talk of him renewing faith in Disney creatives, and that he will take a hard look at Disney's streaming properties, which may not have the same appeal as before. Iger is the one who can figure it out.
Iger was offered the reins back to him by Disney. There is a chance that there is a mistake here. Iger is the one who can fix the mouse house. It will need to be rebuilt one day, and the architect for that is still out there.