(Bloomberg) -- Sean Bailey, the longtime president of film production for the Walt Disney Co.’s namesake studio, is leaving the company.
In a statement Monday, Disney named David Greenbaum, most recently head of its Searchlight Pictures unit, as successor with the title of president, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios.
Bailey, who had served in the role since 2010, is best known for remaking some of Disney’s animated hits, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, with live actors. While some became successes — Beauty and the Beast brought in $1.27 billion globally — others like The Little Mermaid failed to perform as well.
Disney’s film business, which has towered over Hollywood for years, has struggled of late. The most recent superhero picture, The Marvels, delivered just $206 million in global ticket sales, a fraction of what the company’s comic-book features typically produce. And after leading the global box office for several years, Disney lost the top spot to Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures in 2023.
Before joining Disney, Bailey produced films including Matchstick Men and Gone Baby Gone. He co-founded the media company LivePlanet with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and was the executive producer of several television programs.
The Burbank, California-based entertainment giant is in the midst of a fight with shareholder activists including Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management, is seeking two seats on the company’s board.
Under Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger, who returned to lead Disney in November 2022, the company has been cutting costs and reshaping its entertainment business around online videos businesses led by Disney .
--With assistance from Thomas Buckley.
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