Disney Names Fox Film Executives Coming Aboard After Acquisition
19 October 2018 - 5:09AM
Dow Jones News
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) announced a roster of Twentieth Century
Fox executives who will be joining the company's film operations
once the $71 billion acquisition of Fox closes.
Disney will add veteran Fox executives Emma Watts, Nancy Utley,
Stephen Gilula and Elizabeth Gabler to Disney Studios Chairman Alan
Horn's team.
Mr. Horn has presided over the most successful film slate in
recent Hollywood history, with hit franchises across Disney's
Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios and Pixar Animation divisions.
Ms. Watts is the highest-ranking Fox film executive joining
Disney; she currently serves as vice chairman of Fox Film and
president of production. Ms. Utley and Mr. Gilula oversee Fox
Searchlight, the specialty label that will likely produce features
for Disney's new streaming services, set to launch next year. Ms.
Gabler is head of Fox 2000.
Fox executives specializing in animation and family
entertainment--Andrea Miloro, Robert Baird and Vanessa
Morrison--will join Disney and report to Mr. Horn and Ms.
Watts.
Notably not joining Disney after the merger is completed: Stacey
Snider, the veteran studio chief who runs Fox's film studio and is
Ms. Watts's boss. Integrating the two teams is crucial to Disney
Chief Executive Robert Iger's bet on direct-to-consumer offerings
that will pipe Disney and Fox programming directly into the
home.
Disney is buying 21st Century Fox Inc. (FOX, FOXA) entertainment
assets, including Fox's Hollywood studio and some U.S. cable
networks. A new "Fox" company will contain Fox News and other
assets that aren't being sold to Disney.
Fox shares common ownership with News Corp (NWS), the parent
company of Dow Jones.
--Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com;
@erichschwartzel
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 18, 2018 13:54 ET (17:54 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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