Former Disney CEO Bob Iger Is Back To See Company Through Crisis

In February this year Bob Iger, the CEO who guided Disney as it became an entertainment behemoth, announced he was stepping down to let Bob Chapek take the reigns. But now, as Disney closes parks and hotels worldwide in the face of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) threat, Iger isn't going to be able to take the backseat so easily, the New York Times has reported.

Citing multiple sources detailing the high-up goings-on at Disney, including an email from Iger himself, the Times report details how a smoothly planned transition of leadership has been scrapped.

With tens of thousands of employees now furloughed, Disney is going to be fundamentally changed when it comes out on the other side of this--and the Times' sources claim these changes will be led by Iger over Chapek.

"A crisis of this magnitude, and its impact on Disney, would necessarily result in my actively helping Bob [Chapek] and the company contend with it, particularly since I ran the company for 15 years!" Iger told the New York Times' Ben Smith in an email.

With no end to the pandemic currently in sight, it's hard to guess when Disney will be able to open its parks and hotels again, or even when audiences will be allowed back into the cinemas to enjoy their films again. Disney has given a number of its big-name films new release dates, though these are liable to change as the situation develops. Upcoming film Artemis Fowl has been moved to a Disney Plus release, while other films still have no release date--in short, Disney's whole distribution schedule has been mixed up by the coronavirus crisis.