Hollywood is skeptical that Disney CEO Bob Iger will step down in 2026 as successor search continues

The search for Disney’s next CEO has become a chaotic mess as activist investors push for seats on the company’s board — and Hollywood insiders are skeptical that any of the top contenders will be ready when Bob Iger is slated to step down in 2026.

The Mouse House is hoping to fend off billionaire Nelson Peltz and his firm Trian Fund Management, who are demanding two board seats in a fierce proxy battle that will come to a head at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday.

The heat is on to get the plan right this time — and Disney’s murky succession plan is playing into the hands of the activists: Critics note that Iger returned as Disney’s CEO in late 2022 in order to undo the damage from the two-year, volatile tenure Bob Chapek — his own, handpicked successor.

Sources point out that one frontrunner in the race, Dana Walden, the company’s highly respected head of TV, would be the first female CEO of Disney in its 100-year history — giving the move a feeling of turning the page on the Iger era.

“Dana [Walden] is a real player,” said a studio exec, who praised the TV boss’ relationships with talent, and called her a leading contender.

“She would be the most Hollywood and entertainment-industry friendly,” chimed in another source close to Walden. “She is a deep state Hollywood insider, born and raised in Studio City, vacations with other TV moguls.”