Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore — James Gorman and the Disney Succession Delay, Universal Epic Universe Opens May 2025, and Villains Land
This month's newsletter will tackle three totally different topics from Disney's new Chairman of the Board to Epic Universe to Disney's Villains Land.
Welcome back to Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
In this issue, we will be covering:
James Gorman and The Disney Succession Delay 📈
Epic Universe Opens May 2025 🌌
Villains Land: What’s Going On? 🔮
Podcast Plugs 🎙
Links of the Month 📰
We’ve gained a few new subscribers this month (some from various organizations in the entertainment industry 👀), so I wanted to ask a few questions.
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James Gorman and The Disney Succession Delay 📈
Earlier this month, Disney named James Gorman as Chairman of the Board starting in 2025. Nike exec Mark G. Parker, current Chairman of the Board, will depart in early 2025. Gorman is being brought on as he successfully handed off the reigns at Morgan Stanley. Parker and Iger have both struggled with succession planning at Nike and Disney.
James Gorman likes challenges and Disney's succession planning is a complex one. Disney is a multifaceted company and it’s hard to pin down a candidate who can handle it all. Gorman is leading the search and he delayed the succession deadline to 2026. Disney originally planned to announce its next CEO in 2025. Now it seems like Gorman and the succession planning committee want to continue to evaluate the internal and external candidates for the big job.
The Disney Board has hired executive search company Heidrick & Struggles to lead the search for external candidates for Disney's next CEO. So which external candidates may be looked at? TheWrap reports former Disney execs Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer are not seen as candidates but who knows what happens. Universal’s Donna Langley and Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz have been floated as external candidates. Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he has no interest but one has to wonder if someone from Netflix may throw their hat into the race. I’m curious who Heidrick & Struggles identifies.
The Gorman’s promotion and the overall delay has made one thing clear though.
This won’t be Bob Iger’s decision.
Gorman wants Disney to move past Iger and he also wants the company to have a strong pipeline of leaders to succeed long-term. Maybe Gorman will create a Disney executive program that will get execs training across various divisions within Disney from streaming to the studios to the parks. In order for Iger’s succession to be successful this time, he has to let the Board make the choice and let go. Gorman rewarded all of his succession candidates at Morgan Stanley could he perhaps do a similar approach if Dana Walden becomes CEO and Josh D’Amaro becomes COO? Who knows but Gorman will provide fresh eyes in a situation that has clouded Disney for years.
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Epic Universe Opens in May 2025 🌌
Epic Universe officially opens on May 2025, and Universal Orlando Resort will never be the same. The new park will boast attractions from the worlds of Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, Universal Classic Monsters, and Harry Potter.
What does Epic Universe mean for Walt Disney World? We will have to wait and see. Walt Disney World is trickling out some 2025 offerings like a reimagined Test Track, a new Villains show, a new parade, an updated Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and a new Zootopia show as well. I expect new offerings and deals to roll out throughout the year and tease on what Disney may do in 2026. It will be an interesting year for both resorts.
Universal is actually curbing demand for Epic Universe by making guests buy tickets to its other theme parks as well. Universal doesn’t want Epic Universe to cannibalize Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. The park will be a massive draw for a while and it truly transforms Universal from an operations standpoint.
Post-Epic, Universal Destinations and Experiences aren’t stepping off the gas. They are going to tease more about Horror Unleashed in Vegas on Halloween. Universal Kids in Dallas is coming along. A new resort in the U.K. is likely on its way. Not to mention they have more in store for Orlando as well, Universal Studios Florida, their first park, is aging. It’s exciting times ahead for Universal and we will go deeper into this topic in the future.
Villains Land: What’s Going On? 🔮
Villains Land is coming to the Magic Kingdom at some point, the likely timeline being 2029 to 2030 range if construction and development go well. I’m expecting prep work to begin in 2025 as soon as Disney starts construction on its Cars/Frontierland project.
Disney is promising the new land will have two major attractions, shopping, and dining, and that it would be on a “incredibly twisted grand scale.” The current ceiling for Villains Land seems to be a dark and twisted version of Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs. The initial concept art teases Maleficent heavily. I’ve joked in private that Disney may need Angelina Jolie to reprise her role for Villains Land. (Don’t worry the land is based on Disney Animation).
Disney is also doing a Villains show at Hollywood Studios that will feature Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook, Maleficent, and others. The show however takes place in “the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror.” Maybe that is where Villains Land will take place as well.
For years there have been rumblings of a Haunted Mansion dining experience. After the announcement of two Haunted Mansion bars for the Disney Cruise Line, it seems possible that we may see a Haunted Mansion dining experience in the Magic Kingdom perhaps even in Villains Land. I’ve also predicted that the story of the Haunted Mansion will continue in new ways inside the land.
I still wouldn’t rule out Chernabog and a potential Night on Bald Mountain attraction either. There are a lot of potential angles that Walt Disney Imagineering can take. However, I expect this land to feature multiple villains in the two attractions and give space for the addition of new villains over time as well. Villains Land will also only feature Disney Animation villains, so that rules out Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century. Yet that makes the land stronger and frankly more classic Disney.
There may be a small update on this land during D23 Brazil, however, I hope Disney takes it upon itself to make it a yearly tradition to give us villainous details for their fearless new vision every Halloween until the land opens.
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Podcast Plugs 🎙
The Zach Perilstein Show had two major episodes last month. Zach chatted with theme park journalist Scott Gustin and the director of Meet the Robinsons and Winnie the Pooh, and author of Disney In-Between, Stephen Anderson! (Spotify) (Apple)
Zach and a group of guests have been doing an Agatha All Along after-show. (Spotify) (Apple)
LINKS OF THE MONTH
— Disney’s 20th Television is producing hits like Nobody Wants This and Tracker for rivals like Netflix and CBS. (Deadline)
—Blade has been removed from Disney’s theatrical schedule. A tough development for the daywalker [and Mahershala Ali]. (IndieWire)
— Moana 2 is tracking for a big five-day opening and early ticket pre-sales seem positive. (Boardwalk Times)
— Spider-Man 4 is set for July 2026. Unless a major delay takes place, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will actually follow up No Way Home by appearing in Avengers: Doomsday… (Variety)
— The Rey Skywalker/Star Wars film is in development still despite losing its writer. I don’t get the freakout. There is no rush for a Rey film and the longer it takes, likely the better it will be. (TheWrap)
— Everything We Know About The Disney Adventure Cruise Ship So Far. (Boardwalk Times)
— Longtime Walt Disney Studios Exec Alan Bergman Could Ascend To The Top Of Disney (Boardwalk Times)
— From Disney Consumer Products to ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro’s Potential As The Next CEO of Disney. (Boardwalk Times)
— Dana Walden Could Make History As Disney’s First Female CEO. (Boardwalk Times)
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