Bob Iger Imagines an Alt-History Where Disney and Apple Merge

In his new memoir, the Mouse House CEO claims that if Steve Jobs were still alive they would've discussed combining their companies.
Bob Iger
Disney CEO Bob Iger talks about his relationship with Steve Jobs in his new memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons From 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company.Photograph: Tolga Akmen/Getty Images

Happy Thursday, welcome to The Monitor, WIRED’s pop culture news roundup. It’s been a somewhat quiet week on the entertainment news front, but there are still some chatter-worthy updates, including something very exciting for Boondocks fans. Let’s get started.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Would’ve Combined Mouse House With Apple

Well, this is interesting. In an excerpt from his new biography released to Vanity Fair, Disney CEO Bob Iger says that the Mouse House and Apple likely would have merged had Steve Jobs not passed away in 2011. “I believe that if Steve were still alive, we would have combined our companies, or at least discussed the possibility very seriously,” Iger writes in The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons From 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. What a world that would be! But, alas, we’re in this world, where competition between Apple TV+ and Disney+ is heating up, and Iger left his seat on Apple’s board.

The Boondocks Is Getting a Revival on HBO Max

The Boondocks, the beloved series based on Aaron McGruder’s comic strips, is coming to HBO Max. The forthcoming streaming service has ordered 24 new episodes of the series, which will premiere in the fall of 2020 along with the 55 episodes of the original series. “Aaron is a gifted visionary whose unique style of storytelling is a welcome voice and we are elated The Freemans are making their thugnificent comeback on HBO Max,” Kevin Reilly, chief content officer for HBO Max, told Variety.

Fresh Off the Boat’s Creator Has a Netflix Deal

Another creator is hooking up with Netflix. Nahnatchka Khan, the creator of Fresh Off the Boat, has just signed a first-look deal with the streaming giant for her future feature films. Khan’s directorial feature film debut, Always Be My Maybe, premiered on Netflix this spring and, according to Netflix, was streamed by 32 million households in its first month.


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