The sudden return of former Disney CEO Bob Iger to the top role at the company caught a lot of people off guard, none more so than Bob Chapek, who was reportedly blindsided by the move.
Financially, Chapek has nothing to worry about. He has a severance package that’s said to be worth more than $23 million, but when it comes to his Disney legacy, he has plenty to fear. While he was handpicked for the CEO role by Iger, the relationship between the two quickly cooled and eventually became politely hostile as Chapek strove to put his own unique stamp on the company. Now, with Iger back in charge for the foreseeable future, many of those moves could be reversed.
Here’s a look at some of the big moves Chapek made (or was planning on making) and the likelihood that Iger could adjust or reverse them.
Company reorganization
Soon after taking the top office, Chapek restructured Disney’s media and entertainment divisions, streamlining them and putting decisions on advertising, sales, operations, technology, and distribution of Disney’s content under the oversight of Kareen Daniel, who previously oversaw consumer products, games, and publishing.
That was a seismic shift for the company and one Iger wasn’t a big fan of. Expect him to untangle that department and revert to a structure that he’s more familiar with (and that worked well for him during his last tenure).
Disney+ pricing
Iger always maintained Disney+ should be cheaper than the competition. Chapek announced plans to raise prices to $10.99, more than several other streaming services, as of December 8. (A version with advertisements will run $7.99 per month.)
Walking those prices back in such a short time frame would be unusual, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Politics
Chapek’s handling of political relations with the Florida government, as well as national officials, was certainly a part of his undoing. Iger, historically, has been more successful with those matters. He will certainly be more attuned to employee sentiment, which could help him avoid the troubles Chapek ran into by delaying comment on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, then speaking out to the point that it launched a political war with Ron De Santis.
Chapek tried to walk a neutral line when it came to politics. Conservatives, though, felt Disney pushed too far left on the political spectrum. Iger was a registered Democrat, who became Independent in 2016. He has flirted with a presidential run. He’s not likely to remove Disney from the culture wars, but he’ll certainly be more direct.
When Georgia proposed a strict abortion law in 2017, Iger told Reuters it would be “very difficult” to keep filming there.
Metaverse
Two months ago, Chapek told Deadline that he had plans to tie Disney+ into the metaverse (though he joked that Disney preferred the term “next gen storytelling” because of all the baggage the word metaverse carries with it). “Disney+ will not just be a movie-service platform, but it’s going to become an experiential lifestyle platform,” he said. “A platform for the whole company to embody both the physical things that you might be able to experience in a theme park, but also the digital experiences that you can get through media.”
Among his ideas were a virtual Haunted Mansion ride where people could get off the ride and explore some of the special effects. He also proposed that people who visited the theme parks in real life, if they gave permission, could potentially have their Disney+ experience programmed, not according to what they watched last or the habits of other views, but on what they experienced while at the park.
Iger is a big backer of Disney’s Imagineers, so he might not squash this project completely, but it’s unlikely to be a top priority.
Talent relations
Under Chapek, Scarlett Johansson sued the company for breach of contract after the Black Widow movie was released on both Disney+ and in theaters. It led to a breakdown in relations between the star, a key part of the Avengers universe, and the company. The case was settled, but the scar was permanent.
Iger has a history and reputation as a deal maker who backs talent. With him back at the helm, expect stars to be less hesitant to work with Disney moving forward.
Genie+/Lightning Lane
Chapek was a big supporter of charging visitors to Disney parks for fast passes. (The new Genie+ program gives visitors access to shorter wait times at several popular attractions for charges ranging from $15 to $20, depending on the park you visit. Lightning Lane lets you make a fast pass reservation for the most popular rides, charging up to $20 per person per ride at peak times.)
The add-ons have brought in significant revenue for the company. In the process, though, they’ve upset a lot of Disney die-hards, who feel they’re being nickel-and-dimed atop already record high park admission prices.
Iger had a fondness for the Disney parks and invested heavily in them during his last run as CEO. While it will be tough for him to unwind a program that’s benefiting shareholders, it’s possible it will be reviewed—especially if park attendance starts to slow as the economy worsens.
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