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After Bob Iger Somehow Returned in the wake of the Other Disney Bob’s mismanagement of arguably the biggest entertainment company on the planet back in 2024, there was always a time limit on trying to figure out who would lead Disney next. Now, the company has that answer again—after taking a look towards its theme parks division.
Variety reports that this morning Disney announced that Josh D’Amaro, who has been head of Disney’s Experiences chairman—which covers an incredibly broad range of the incredibly broad company, including consumer products, digital ventures including video games, the Imagineering department, Disney’s cruises, and, of course, its array of theme parks and resorts around the world—since 2020, having worked at Disney across multiple related divisions since 1998.
D’Amaro will step up as Disney CEO on March 18, alongside current TV studio chief Dana Walden as the newly created subordinate role of president and chief creative officer, shifting current CEO Bob Iger to a senior advisory role on Disney’s executive board until he formally retires on December 31.
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” Iger said in a provided statement. “He has an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences, paired with the rigor and attention to detail required to deliver some of our most ambitious projects. His ability to combine creativity with operational excellence is exemplary and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.”
Iger’s brief return (after his previous fifteen-year stint managing Disney, which saw him lead the charge in taking over the likes of Marvel and Lucasfilm, as well as shepherding in the Disney-Fox megamerger) was seen as a turnaround from the lows of Bob Chapek’s tenure, with a focus on improving Disney’s theatrical output again. But Iger’s return also saw Disney increasingly move towards a broader stance of political capitulation, especially in the wake of the drama under Chapek about Disney’s delayed response to the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” Florida bill that sparked a legal battle over Disney’s presence in the state. Under Iger, Disney has been keen to indicate to the second Trump administration a willingness to work with its agenda, including capitulating on diversity initiatives and censoring trans-related storylines in multiple projects.
D’Amaro inherits Disney at a time of considerable importance for the company. Theatrically, 2026 sees two of Iger’s biggest acquisitions, the aforementioned Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, make big bets on their cinematic futures with the release of Avengers: Doomsday—a hail mary assembly of Marvel properties trying to match up to the success of Avengers: Endgame after a rollercoaster half-decade of output from the studio—and The Mandalorian and Grogu—Lucasfilm’s first theatrical Star Wars release since the divisive launch of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019—respectively. D’Amaro will now also help oversee Disney’s huge deal with OpenAI to integrate AI video into its streaming platform Disney+, as well as elsewhere in Disney’s workflow.
Time will tell just how D’Amaro’s tenure shakes out—after all, Bob Chapek was similarly Iger’s handpicked choice for his successor, and look how that turned out. The House of Mouse is likely hoping, at least, that the second time’s the charm.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
After Bob Iger Somehow Returned in the wake of the Other Disney Bob’s mismanagement of arguably the biggest entertainment company on the planet back in 2024, there was always a time limit on trying to figure out who would lead Disney next. Now, the company has that answer again—after taking a look towards its theme parks division.
Variety reports that this morning Disney announced that Josh D’Amaro, who has been head of Disney’s Experiences chairman—which covers an incredibly broad range of the incredibly broad company, including consumer products, digital ventures including video games, the Imagineering department, Disney’s cruises, and, of course, its array of theme parks and resorts around the world—since 2020, having worked at Disney across multiple related divisions since 1998.
D’Amaro will step up as Disney CEO on March 18, alongside current TV studio chief Dana Walden as the newly created subordinate role of president and chief creative officer, shifting current CEO Bob Iger to a senior advisory role on Disney’s executive board until he formally retires on December 31.
“Josh D’Amaro is an exceptional leader and the right person to become our next CEO,” Iger said in a provided statement. “He has an instinctive appreciation of the Disney brand, and a deep understanding of what resonates with our audiences, paired with the rigor and attention to detail required to deliver some of our most ambitious projects. His ability to combine creativity with operational excellence is exemplary and I am thrilled for Josh and the company.”
Iger’s brief return (after his previous fifteen-year stint managing Disney, which saw him lead the charge in taking over the likes of Marvel and Lucasfilm, as well as shepherding in the Disney-Fox megamerger) was seen as a turnaround from the lows of Bob Chapek’s tenure, with a focus on improving Disney’s theatrical output again. But Iger’s return also saw Disney increasingly move towards a broader stance of political capitulation, especially in the wake of the drama under Chapek about Disney’s delayed response to the infamous “Don’t Say Gay” Florida bill that sparked a legal battle over Disney’s presence in the state. Under Iger, Disney has been keen to indicate to the second Trump administration a willingness to work with its agenda, including capitulating on diversity initiatives and censoring trans-related storylines in multiple projects.
D’Amaro inherits Disney at a time of considerable importance for the company. Theatrically, 2026 sees two of Iger’s biggest acquisitions, the aforementioned Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, make big bets on their cinematic futures with the release of Avengers: Doomsday—a hail mary assembly of Marvel properties trying to match up to the success of Avengers: Endgame after a rollercoaster half-decade of output from the studio—and The Mandalorian and Grogu—Lucasfilm’s first theatrical Star Wars release since the divisive launch of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019—respectively. D’Amaro will now also help oversee Disney’s huge deal with OpenAI to integrate AI video into its streaming platform Disney+, as well as elsewhere in Disney’s workflow.
Time will tell just how D’Amaro’s tenure shakes out—after all, Bob Chapek was similarly Iger’s handpicked choice for his successor, and look how that turned out. The House of Mouse is likely hoping, at least, that the second time’s the charm.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
[analyse_source url=”https://gizmodo.com/disney-ceo-josh-damaro-bob-iger-2000717207″]