The billionaire activist investor waging war against Disney has hit out at the media giant over its use of all-black and all-female casts. The Telegraph has more.
Nelson Peltz, who owns a stake in Disney worth roughly $3.5bn (£2.8bn), sided with accusations that the Hollywood behemoth has become too woke.
He said: “People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained. They don’t go to get a message.”
Mr. Peltz, whose daughter Nicola is married to Brooklyn Beckham, took issue with recent blockbusters The Marvels and Black Panther, which portray female and black superheroes respectively.
In an interview with the Financial Times, the tycoon said: “Why do I have to have a Marvel that’s all women? Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that?
“Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-black cast?”
Disney’s recent push into more diverse casting marks efforts by the U.S. company to balance its output after decades of films starring mostly white and male characters and actors.
It has also updated some of its classic fairytales, including Cinderella and Snow White, for the modern era.
But the moves have fuelled criticism that Disney is focusing on political activism at the expense of its audiences.
After years of delivering blockbusters, Disney’s film studios, which include Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm, have suffered a string of disappointing box office openings.
The Marvels recorded the worst box office debut in the history of the franchise when it was released late last year.
Mr. Peltz has cited this lacklustre performance as one of the driving forces behind his activist campaign. He has also raised concerns about huge pay packets for executives and poor succession planning.
The investor, who owns shares in Disney through his vehicle Trian Fund Management, is campaigning for board seats for himself and former Disney finance chief, Jay Rasulo.
Worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.