Kevin Feige Considered Front Runner For Disney Top Gig, Where Does That Leave Marvel?
Rich Ross has reportedly resigned[some say fired] from his post as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios' President of Production Kevin Feige is the front runner to replace him.
Disney, as the owner of Marvel could very well pluck Feige from Marvel's film branch and place him in the top spot to oversee what movies are green-lit from Marvel, Dreamworks, Pixar and Disney. While that could potentially mean more Marvel movies per year with someone like Feige calling the shots, it also means that someone new will have to step into Feige's shoes. And while many would attribute the MCU's success to Jon Favreau and the first Iron Man movie, make no mistake, it was Feige behind the scenes, mandating certain story elements be included that has led us to The Avengers promise land.
Of course the question here is that if Disney asks, can Feige really say no? Can Feige risk any lingering bad feelings from Disney towards Marvel by turning down the job? And if he does ultimately move up, who then takes the reigns and guides the MCU onward towards Avengers 2? You're kidding yourself if you think Feige can run both Disney and Marvel. If this does come to pass, my personal pick would be Joss Whedon, someone who has worked in both television and film, now has a great relationship with Marvel thanks to The Avengers and has just as much (if not more) love for comic books as Feige.
Variety reports that Feige's "close eye on overhead and production costs through long-term deals with actors and tax breaks" are all aspects that Disney CEO Bob Iger covets.
Other potential candidates include Dreamworks CEO Stacey Snider and producer Joe Roth who previously ran Disney Studios from 1994-2000. Also in the mix are producers Sean Bailey, Mary Parent and Scot Stuber.