Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel Studios has operated under Marvel Entertainment CEO Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter. However, after what The Hollywood Reporter's sources describe as "several years of frustration," Kevin Feige will now report directly to Disney boss Alan Horn. This is no rumour either, as a Disney spokesperson confirmed the behind the scenes shift in a statement earlier today. "Marvel Studios is taking the next logical step in its integration with The Walt Disney Studios, joining Pixar and Lucasfilm in centralizing many of its film-related functions in Burbank, with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis D’Esposito continuing to lead the Marvel Studios team reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn."
Tales of just how frugal Perlmutter is are legendary, and as the Marvel Cinematic Universe gets bigger and bigger, it could be that Feige has finally had enough of those kinds of restrictions. It was Perlmutter who reportedly deicded to replace Terrence Howard when he demanded a pay increase because he believed no one would notice them replacing one black actor with another, and he very nearly screwed up Captain America: Civil War when he fought against the prospect of altering Robert Downey Jr.'s contract to increase his presence in the MCU moving forwards. Perlmutter will still oversee Marvel Television, as well as the comic book and animation divisions.
The trade adds: "One insider says Feige has earned the opportunity to break free from Perlmutter, who is not only controlling, but also obsessed with thrift. "Everybody knows Ike is difficult," says one source close to the company. "This has been a long time coming. Kevin has grown his entire career under Ike and now it just makes sense."
