Iger Produces His Own Disney Drama

For those of you still mourning the end of “Succession,” you’re in luck—a new season just unexpectedly dropped. This time, though, it will be presented by Walt Disney, not HBO, in the form of an arrangement in which two onetime Disney heir apparents, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, have returned as advisers to CEO Bob Iger. Officially, Iger—who himself came back to run Disney last November—brought Mayer and Staggs on board to help him figure out what to do with ESPN and Disney’s other television properties, according to Puck, which broke the news of their return. 

Because one of Iger’s main responsibilities in coming back to Disney was to find a permanent successor, the reappearance of Mayer and Staggs predictably has prompted wide speculation that the arrangement is also an audition for Iger’s job. To be clear, the men are not real-life equivalents of Roman and Kendall Roy, the misbegotten sons who compete to run a fictional entertainment conglomerate in “Succession.” Both Mayer and Staggs have impressive résumés that include years of experience running key parts of Disney and the formation of an investment firm, Candle Media, which has been spending heavily to acquire entertainment assets.     

Still, how awkward will it be if the two of them, who are still joined at the hips at their joint endeavor, Candle, end up competing against each other for Iger’s job? And what if Iger passes over one or both of them for the CEO job—again? Those will be moments of high drama worthy of prestige TV. Grab the popcorn.