Disney is considering taking a look outside of the Magic Kingdom for Bob Iger’s successor, with Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson among external candidates being floated for the top job, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The outlet reported that Disney is working with recruiters from Heidrick & Struggles in its review of external candidates, with at least two more possible candidates identified.
Representatives for Disney and Wilson did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
The search for Iger’s successor is being led by outgoing Morgan Stanley executive James Gorman, who is set to become the entertainment giant’s board chairman starting Jan 2, 2025. Gorman, who joined as Disney’s succession planning committee chair in August, has said a successor for Iger will be announced in early 2026. Iger’s contract is set to expire at the end of 2026.
In addition to considering outsiders, Disney’s board is also evaluating four internal candidates: Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Parks & Experiences chief Josh D’Amaro.
The Journal noted that Iger also called Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos earlier this year, inquiring about the possibility of a dual CEO setup at Disney. During WSJ’s Tech Live Conference, Sarandos said it’s “hard for me to recommend” a co-CEO model to a company like Disney.
“I understand their business pretty well, but not their business structure,” he added at the time.
Wilson has served as EA chairman and CEO since 2013. During his more than 20 years at EA, Wilson has held several senior leadership roles in Asia, Canada and the U.S.
Prior to becoming CEO, he served as executive vice president of EA Sports and Origin, where he led the global EA Sports business as well as EA’s digital PC service. Before that, he led EA’s Online Organization, including the company’s Asia business operations and direct-to-consumer services, and served as vice president and executive producer of all EA Sports FIFA games, growing the IP into one of the most popular video game franchises of all time.
According to the Journal, Wilson and Iger have been in touch repeatedly in recent years, with the former interviewing for the job of ESPN chairman prior to Pitaro’s appointment. Additionally, Wilson reportedly had talks about selling EA to Disney during Bob Chapek’s tenure and about being a strategic partner for ESPN’s fully direct-to-consumer service, internally codenamed Flagship, launching next year — neither of which materialized.
The consideration of Wilson comes as Disney has made a push into the video game space after taking a $1.5 billion stake in “Fortnite” creator Epic Games.
