Disney Remakes Disney Remakes

Walt Disney president of motion picture studios Sean Bailey, the executive who led the charge to adapt many titles from Disney’s animation catalog as live-action and photorealistic animated features, has announced he is leaving the company.

Effective immediately, Searchlight co-president David Greenbaum will take on a newly-created role as president of Disney live action and 20th Century Studios, assuming many of Bailey’s former responsibilities.

Bailey is a 15-year Disney vet whose first project at the company was 2010’s Tron: Legacy. Closing the circle on his career at the company, Bailey will stay on as a producer through the completion of Joachim Rønning’s Tron: Ares.

Sean Bailey
Sean Bailey, Credit: Caltech

Of his departure, Bailey told Deadline:

These 15 years at Disney have been an incredible journey, but the time is right for a new chapter. I’m deeply grateful to my exceptional team and proud of the slate and history we’ve built together. I joined Disney while producing Tron: Legacy, so it seems fitting that I will have the opportunity to work on the latest Tron as I depart. I wish Bob Iger, Alan Bergman, and all my amazing colleagues the very best for a bright future.

Bailey was a box office hitmaker for Disney, and during his time at the company it produced hugely profitable live-action and photorealistic animated adaptations of some of the most iconic 2d-animated Disney titles such as The Lion King ($1.66 billion in global box office), Beauty and the Beast ($1.2 billion), Aladdin ($1.05 billion) and The Jungle Book ($962 million). Films made under his watch grossed roughly $7 billion.

Acknowledging Bailey’s exit, Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said:

Sean has been an incredibly important member of the studio’s creative team for well over a decade. He and his team have brought to the screen iconic stories and moments that have delighted fans around the world and will stand the test of time. I know he’ll continue to do great things.

When Disney+ launched in 2019, Bailey’s responsibilities expanded to include oversight of the platform’s live-action offerings. Shortly after that, the studio embarked on a string of forgettable streaming-native live-action features, some based on animation IPs, including Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan & Wendy, and the much-maligned live-action Pinocchio. Last year, the company righted the ship slightly with The Little Mermaid, which grossed $569.6 million globally. That’s a decent enough figure, but nothing compared to the totals that live-action adaptations used to pull in. Whether middling box office returns and an outgoing executive will mark a change in Disney’s adaptation strategy remains to be seen.

Jamie Lang

Jamie Lang is the Editor-in-Chief of Cartoon Brew.

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