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THIS WEEK’S BANTER

Disney CEO Bob Iger is planning on retiring at the end of 2026, leaving speculation about his succession strategy. Who at the company is primed to take the throne? Are there any drawbacks to being a frontrunner? 

Tale as old as time? Iger has announced retirement plans before, and he briefly handed former parks head Bob Chapek the keys to the kingdom in 2020 (for a controversial tenure) before returning to the driver’s seat in 2022. But this time, Iger’s for real, says entertainment journalist and Puck News founding partner Matt Belloni: “The board is focused and they are going to pick someone, and they have whittled it down to four internal candidates.” 

A cut above the rest? About those four: That would be Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro, head of television Dana Walden, head of film Alan Bergman, and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. But do any of them stand out above the rest? Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw has his money on D’Amaro and Walden: “D’Amaro runs parks, which is Disney's best-performing business right now, and Dana has the sort of creative chops and the relationship with the community in Hollywood — that I think is seen as another key part of having that job,” he says.

Poor unfortunate souls? There may be some drawbacks to being one of the prime candidates in line for succession. “The frontrunner is not a good place to be with Bob Iger. We've seen that over and over again,” says Belloni. “I saw one of the trades refer to Dana Walden as this being ‘her job to lose.’ And I was like, ‘Oof, if I'm Dana, I hate seeing that.’ Because A: It's not true. And B: it just puts this impression out there that she's campaigning." 

But wait, there’s more! Get the full scoop on Disney’s throne-watch in this week’s audio edition of The Banter.

Drake Bell, pictured here with “Drake and Josh” co-star Josh Peck at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards in 2006, speaks out about alleged years of abuse on set in the new ID docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” Photo credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

ID series Quiet on Set explores years of alleged abuse at Nickelodeon

ID’s four-part docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV brings forth allegations of years of abuse and inappropriate behavior on Nickelodeon sets, with Drake and Josh star Drake Bell speaking out after years of silence. Who is at the center of it all? 

What’s going on here? The docuseries explores years of alleged sexual assault at the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue coach, Brian Peck, and separate allegations of toxic behavior from producer Dan Schneider. 

“There's two things going on here,” Belloni explains. “One is this specific behavior by Brian Peck that's alleged in this documentary, which is pretty horrific molestation, allegations of sexual assault. And then there is the larger question of the toxicity on these shows beyond the specific allegations of this one incident. And that's where it all seems to point to Dan Schneider.”

Too much power? Having created Nickelodeon hits like Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly, Dan Schneider was afforded the freedom to run sets as he saw fit, which allegedly resulted in a toxic workplace. “The kind of power that this guy had, the ability to consistently come up with hits makes you very, very powerful in Hollywood, and then you're the golden boy and you can't speak out because he would banish you,” says The Business’ Kim Masters. 

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Weekend film reviews: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Shirley

Weekend film reviews: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Shirley

It’s a beautiful weekend to hit the cinema. The latest out are Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Shirley, The American Society of Magical Negroes, and Carol Doda Topless at the Condor. Awesome? Terrible? Just OK? We’ve assembled the sharp takes of Shawn Edwards, film critic for FOX 4 News in Kansas City, and Monica Castillo, freelance film critic and senior film programmer at the Jacob Burns Film Center so you won’t be led astray! 

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Chelsea Peretti. Photo credit: Elias Tahan.

Chelsea Peretti is a ‘First Time Female Director’

Most folks probably know comedian and actress Chelsea Peretti for her role as the hyper-confident, social media-obsessed Gina Linetti on the Fox comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But she’s also spent plenty of time lending her comedic chops to writer’s rooms for beloved series, including Parks and Recreation, Portlandia, and Saturday Night Live. Now she’s adding the director’s chair to her CV: Her directorial debut feature, First Time Female Director, is out now on Roku. 

She tells The Treatment about putting her problem-solving skills to use while making Director and why she believes the simplest plots are the best ones. She also weighs in on lessons learned from writing, directing, and starring in the film that she’ll apply to her next project. 

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Julio Torres and Tilda Swinton star in “Problemista.” Credit: YouTube.

Julio Torres puts a comedic, surrealist lens on US immigration in Problemista

In the new flick Problemista, a Salvadoran immigrant named Alejandro longs to become a successful toy designer when he arrives in New York. But the challenges of getting an American work visa threaten his dreams. Then he meets Elizabeth, an art world eccentric played by Tilda Swinton, who becomes his only hope to stay in the country. 

Julio Torres is the writer, director, and star of the movie. He emigrated from El Salvador before establishing a career in comedy, which included writing for SNL and co-creating HBO’s Los Espookys

Torres tells KCRW that the skeleton of Problemista’s plot is connected to his pursuit of a student visa, then a work visa to stay in the U.S. 

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