RUMOR: Kevin Feige to Replace Rich Ross at Disney?

[TheVileOne]

Hey guys, thought this seemed to be the appropriate place for this.

So the big news that came out today is that Rich Ross, head of Disney Studios has been future endeavored. Nikki Finke over at Deadline said she heard a rumor so there might not be anything to it that Kevin Feige is a candidate for Rich Ross' old job:

http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/disney-bob-iger-president-ceo-rich-ross-fired/

In fact, as recently as yesterday, a rumor swept the Disney lot that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige would be replacing Ross on the eve of the May 4th release of that Disney-owned studio’s hotly anticipated and surefire blockbuster The Avengers. (“He’s a creative. I don’t know that Kevin wants a desk job,” an insider tells me today.) But already under the studios’ umbrella are other possible Ross replacements: Snider, Lasseter, Participant Media’s Ricky Strauss recently named Walt Disney Studios’ worldwide marketing chief, and yes even Bruckheimer who cut his teeth as a Paramount exec. Names of outsiders like Mary Parent are in the mix as well. In the meantime, the studio will be topped by Ross’ production head Sean Bailey and president Alan Bergman who are also in the running. With Disney’s earnings report coming May 8th, Iger must surely announce Ross’ replacement before meeting with Wall Street analysts. And Iger firing Ross shows investors that he’s blaming someone — however fairly or unfairly (see story to come)– for Disney’s recently announced $200M writedown of the John Carter. Even though the film wasn’t greenlit by Ross (it was greenlit by predecessor Dick Cook and championed by John Lasseter), it was still overseen by him and mismarketed by his studio — and became one of the most public and expensive film failures in Hollywood history. As a Marvel insider tells me, “We all expected Rich to not make it. But no one expected it to be this quick.”

Not sure how serious this is but it is an interesting topic of discussion. Rich Ross had a pretty short tenure at Disney. He came in October of 2009 after Dick Cook was fired. So he was there barely over two and a half years in Dick Cook's old position.

Selfishly, satisfied with Marvel Studios' recent input with Thor, Cap, and the soon to be released Avengers, I kind of want Feige to say no and stay with Marvel. I mean not that I think Ross did a bang up job but this is a crazy industry that has little sympathy without quick results. Granted Ross made a lot of mistakes and it seems he greenlit very few actual films. One of his big hires was MT Carney who was responsible for let's face it the awful marketing campaign of JOHN CARTER. Now I'm not trying to be mean and say that all of that was Carney's fault. Going by some stories I read about the situation even she had trouble adjusting and her hands were tied at times. Though she made a lot of bad calls for the movie. Big producers like Bruckheimer had no faith in her promoting or handling Pirates of the Carribbean and blocked her from doing so. But she was one of Ross' hires and now Ross is gone shortly after her and Disney's quarterly announcement of losing up to $200 million on John Carter.

I think what Disney needs in that seat is both a creative type and a business man. Now I think really Feige brings both of those things to the table both as a producer and a guy that helped serve as one of the architects for the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as films like the earlier X-Men and Spider-Man films.

Will be interesting to see the move Disney makes next.

 

[OsGom]

Reducing the number of feature films was Ross' strategy when he came on board. Quality of quantity. However, then he proceeds to greenlight bombs like JC and Mars wants Moms.

That said, Feige should stick with Marvel. Whoever they get really needs to buckle down and focus re-establishing the Disney brand with family friendly films. This should entail pumping some fresh resources into Disney Animation. Pixar rules but Disney's hand drawn animation studio used to be the best in the industry. I think there is still a market if crafted with care they ysed to have for their product.

In addition, the new head should really focus on helping Marvel bring DD, FF and others back under Marvel Studios.

 

[marvelrobbins]

Fox Isn't going to give up X-Men they might sell fantastic four and Daredevil back to Disney.At this point after First Class I prefer X-Men stay where they are at.Sony might
go ahead and sell Ghost rider.I don't see Spider-Man going to disney anytime soon Inless Sony has major financial difficultys.

Marvel needs to start focusing on non avengers related film.Hopefully starting with Dr Strange.

Marvel needs to fucus on getting better animation versions of the marvel universe made.They desire to do their own quality versions similar to DC Animated universe(Batman The Animatied series,Superman the Animated series,Batman Beyond,Justice League) with DIsney owning marvel there Is no excuse for warner brothers with all their stand alone aniamted films doing better than Marvel.

 

[chiefchirpa]

Sony does have a severe financial difficulty, but Spider-Man movie rights is probably one of the sure-fire money earners so I doubt Sony would sell it unless they sell the whole movie business.

On the Disney side, they'd rather push out one of Marvel hundreds or so unknown yet very potential properties. They might do good in promoting Nova, Darkhawk, Gravity or Reptil than buying Spider-Man.

 

[TheVileOne]

The thing is Ross hardly greenlit anything that was one of the critiques against him. I think the only thing he actually greenlit was PROM a movie which only made $10 million worldwide. Oh I think he also greenlit that Timothy Green movie with Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton.

Dick Cook greenlit John Carter but all the budget overages and the bad marketing headed up by MT Carney was all under Rich Ross. Ross is basically taking the heat for the bad marketing and $200 million money loss on John Carter which was announced last month.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

Sony does have a severe financial difficulty, but Spider-Man movie rights is probably one of the sure-fire money earners so I doubt Sony would sell it unless they sell the whole movie business.

On the Disney side, they'd rather push out one of Marvel hundreds or so unknown yet very potential properties. They might do good in promoting Nova, Darkhawk, Gravity or Reptil than buying Spider-Man.

Poor sony... they're hurting so bad that they're rehashing both there top selling franchises in the same year! (MIB and Spidey)

 

[EML420]

Can Kevin Feige be both Disney chairman do this Marvel thing? I would think better if he stayed with Marvel things for the the most part are going good there.

 

[TheVileOne]

I also kind of want him to stay at Marvel just because it seems like that position at Disney seems to be unenviable right now after what happened to Dick Cook and now Rich Ross. He seems better served where he is shepherding these new franchises and creating more. Just seems like the Chairman position has become somewhat of a scapegoat position for shareholders. I mean I don't mean to generalize, I'm sure it's more complicated than that but basically I would not want Feige a representative of Marvel to become the next scapegoat.

 

[EML420]

Disney is well Disney thats a scary postion plus the films they make are so dicey the brand is in a weird place with people Pixar is always a safe bet though.

But if Feige took the Disney spot would he at all be able to manage Marvel beause there was a time when Disney realy micromanaged.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Sony does have a severe financial difficulty, but Spider-Man movie rights is probably one of the sure-fire money earners so I doubt Sony would sell it unless they sell the whole movie business.

I dunno, Sony sold off everything else related to Spider-Man back to Disney asides from the film rights. Who knows how desperate Sony might get.

 

[TheVileOne]

I would figure that Sony would fight tooth and nail to keep the film rights for Spidey but who knows.

I mean everyone has their price.

 

[spideyboy_1111]

Sony won't have a choice if the studio sinks

 

[TheVileOne]

spideyboy_1111, well that depends on how well say MIB 3 and Spider-Man might do this year.

Also remember that MGM despite going through bankruptcy were still able to keep things like Robocop, James Bond, and even part of The Hobbit.

 

[Gamma Ra]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38283



Rich Ross abruptly stepped down today as chairman of Walt Disney Studios, just two weeks before the U.S. opening of Marvel's "The Avengers," viewed as Disney's best bet to rebound from the disastrous "John Carter."


"I believe in this extraordinary Walt Disney Studios team, and I believe in our strong slate of films and our ability to make and market them better than anyone else," Ross said in a statement. "But, I no longer believe the Chairman role is the right professional fit for me. For that reason, I have made the very difficult decision to step down as Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, effective today."


As debate already rages over whether Ross resigned or was fired, so too does speculation regarding his possible successor. According to The New York Times, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and DreamWorks Studios CEO Stacey Snider are likely contenders.


The former president of Disney Channels Worldwide, where he's credited with shepherding the cable network's massive successes like "Hannah Montana" and "High School Musical," Ross was named studio chairman in October 2009, overseeing the release of such hits as "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and Pixar's "Toy Story 3." However, it's the failures he'll most likely be remembered for: "Mars Needs Moms," "Prom" and, most recently, "John Carter," whose $200-million loss makes it one of the biggest flops in box-office history, alongside the likes of "Ishtar" and "Speed Racer."


Under Ross, Disney cut its film slate in half, making the success of "The Avengers," the first Marvel film it's marketed since shelling out $4 billion for the company in 2009, that much more crucial to the bottom line. By all indications, the Joss Whedon-directed movie is on track to open May 4 to "Hunger Games"-sized numbers in North America, somewhere in the neighborhood of $155 million.


"For more than a decade, Rich Ross's creative instincts, business acumen and personal integrity have driven results in key businesses for Disney, redefining success in kids and family entertainment and launching franchises that generate value across our entire company," Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. "His vision and leadership opened doors for Disney around the world, making our brand part of daily life for millions of people. I appreciate his countless contributions throughout his entire career at Disney, and expect he will have tremendous success in whatever he chooses to do next."

 

[CoulsonFan]

Depends if Feige wants that job, which can't be anywhere near as creatively hands-on as his current. Marvel's primary strength has been having a guy in charge who'll guide them towards killer talent choices (I can't imagine anyone else going with Branagh on a movie like Thor,) and who knows the stories they're adapting and how they will or won't work as adaptations. Marvel have an overall strategy that outpaces everyone else in this business by lightyears, but the way the individual productions are creatively managed is what's making it work. No one would have cared about this Avengers enterprise if they'd just made a string of cynical, unwatchable crap with the promise of a cynical, unwatchable crossover down the line. Maybe, by now, someone's waiting in the wings over there who could run the show as well if Feige took a promotion. I can't help doubting it, but maybe.

Managing Marvel's a (relatively) focused, hands-on task. Trying to do the same for the entire Disney slate would be considerably less so. I don't know if Feige would even want that job. I'm not really doubting Feige's abilities if I say I'm highly skeptical that he could do for Disney proper what he's done for Marvel; I don't know if anyone could do that. If he wanted to try, I'd look forward to seeing what happened, but I'd be bracing myself for Marvel's potentially imminent decline.

 

[TheVileOne]

http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=382069

Already started this thread .

 

[CoulsonFan]

Sony won't have a choice if the studio sinks

Sony's not going anywhere and they can pump out Spider-Man movies for years to come. If they keep them cheap enough, they practically can't fail.


Anyway, it's not gonna be Feige.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118052969

 

[hippie_hunter]

Depends if Feige wants that job, which can't be anywhere near as creatively hands-on as his current. Marvel's primary strength has been having a guy in charge who'll guide them towards killer talent choices (I can't imagine anyone else going with Branagh on a movie like Thor,) and who knows the stories they're adapting and how they will or won't work as adaptations. Marvel have an overall strategy that outpaces everyone else in this business by lightyears, but the way the individual productions are creatively managed is what's making it work. No one would have cared about this Avengers enterprise if they'd just made a string of cynical, unwatchable crap with the promise of a cynical, unwatchable crossover down the line. Maybe, by now, someone's waiting in the wings over there who could run the show as well if Feige took a promotion. I can't help doubting it, but maybe.

Managing Marvel's a (relatively) focused, hands-on task. Trying to do the same for the entire Disney slate would be considerably less so. I don't know if Feige would even want that job. I'm not really doubting Feige's abilities if I say I'm highly skeptical that he could do for Disney proper what he's done for Marvel; I don't know if anyone could do that. If he wanted to try, I'd look forward to seeing what happened, but I'd be bracing myself for Marvel's potentially imminent decline.

Feige's abilities are precisely why he's perfect for the job. Feige has developed a reputation of being able to put out top notch quality films (Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, and Captain America: The First Avenger in particular) while keeping costs down (asides from Iron Man 2 and Avengers, the budgets for Marvel's films haven't gone north of $150 million) by getting actors to sign really long term contracts (a range of 6 to 9 films) and hunting down the best tax incentives (China, England, North Carolina, California, New York).

 

[TheVileOne]

Don't forget New Mexico and Ohio.

I'd say give Feige a shot but at the same time only if they are really willing to give him a shot and not be a transition guy. At the same time I think he'd do a lot better than Ross who didn't really push anything forward except Prom.

 

[third3ye]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118052969

Doubt it'll be Fiege. My money's on Joe Roth.

 

[hippie_hunter]

spideyboy_1111, well that depends on how well say MIB 3 and Spider-Man might do this year.

Also remember that MGM despite going through bankruptcy were still able to keep things like Robocop, James Bond, and even part of The Hobbit.

But MGM doesn't have the Flemming Estate doing everything they can to get the rights back to James Bond (already Sony has sold the television and merchandising rights of Spider-Man to Disney and Disney is known to be trying to find some loophole to get Spider-Man under their fold) and Warner Bros. pretty much assumed complete control of the Hobbit.

 

[TheVileOne]

Meh if Disney isn't getting back FF and Daredevil with absolutely no product to show for it in years, I don't have confidence Disney can grab back Spidey with a huge movie coming out this summer.

 

[Gamma Ra]

http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=382069

Already started this thread .

Yeah...you did.

Depends if Feige wants that job, which can't be anywhere near as creatively hands-on as his current. Marvel's primary strength has been having a guy in charge who'll guide them towards killer talent choices (I can't imagine anyone else going with Branagh on a movie like Thor,) and who knows the stories they're adapting and how they will or won't work as adaptations. Marvel have an overall strategy that outpaces everyone else in this business by lightyears, but the way the individual productions are creatively managed is what's making it work. No one would have cared about this Avengers enterprise if they'd just made a string of cynical, unwatchable crap with the promise of a cynical, unwatchable crossover down the line. Maybe, by now, someone's waiting in the wings over there who could run the show as well if Feige took a promotion. I can't help doubting it, but maybe.

Managing Marvel's a (relatively) focused, hands-on task. Trying to do the same for the entire Disney slate would be considerably less so. I don't know if Feige would even want that job. I'm not really doubting Feige's abilities if I say I'm highly skeptical that he could do for Disney proper what he's done for Marvel; I don't know if anyone could do that. If he wanted to try, I'd look forward to seeing what happened, but I'd be bracing myself for Marvel's potentially imminent decline.

It'll come down to $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Here's more:
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios and the Disney Crown


http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38346

 

[TheVileOne]

Good article by CBR. Summarizes everything very well.

I kind of want Feige to stay at Marvel, but I think he could do a good job if he wants to shift. Though I don't really envy who ever takes that position.

 

[Gamma Ra]

Yeah, Feige actually does an excellent job on the MS movies for the most part IMO. I don't know who could fit in his shoes after he leaves. If he takes the job as Disney head, I believe it will probably be Joe Quesada or Joss Whedon moving up in a prominent position in Marvel Studio's. I hope Marvel stays mostly in house when it come to production talent.