Nelson Peltz Marvel movie comments explored as Oscar winner John Ridley voices concerns over billionaire’s bid on Disney board seats

During a recent episode of the Deadline Doc Talk podcast, which was broadcasted on April 2, 2024, award-winning screenwriter John Ridley expressed his opposition towards billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz. Peltz is said to be competing for two positions on the board of the Walt Disney Co.

In the episode titled True/False And The Happiness Factor, Ridley focused on 81-year-old Peltz’s recent comments about Disney’s Marvel movies. At approximately the 37:47-minute mark, he can be heard stating:

“I’m very concerned about this guy Nelson Peltz.”

During an interview with the Financial Times in March 2024, Peltz mentioned The Marvels and Black Panther, citing them as examples.

“People go to watch a movie or a show to be entertained. They don’t go to get a message.”

It appeared that Peltz and Disney CEO Bob Iger were in agreement, as Iger himself admitted that the company had placed too much emphasis on promoting movies rather than prioritizing strong storytelling. To support this claim, Peltz pointed to The Marvels, which features a predominantly female ensemble. Peltz shared with the Financial Times:

“Why do I have to have a Marvel [film] that’s all women? Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that?”

Peltz then appeared to allude to the Black Panther film, featuring an entirely black cast, and continued:

“Why do I need an all-Black cast?”

John Ridley Voices Concerns About Nelson Peltz in Deadline’s Doc Talk Podcast

Despite facing financial struggles, Disney is being challenged by Nelson Peltz, who is vying for two board seats in an effort to improve the company’s situation. Peltz’s investment firm, Trian Partners, has held a significant stake in Disney worth approximately $3.5 billion for the past 19 years.

John Ridley at 14th Annual AAFCA Awards - Show (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) — John Ridley at 14th Annual AAFCA Awards – Show (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

Despite Nelson Peltz’s remarks, award-winning screenwriter John Ridley used his Doc Talk podcast to criticize the billionaire. He expressed worry over Peltz’s attempt to acquire board seats at Disney, citing the investor’s supposed disparagement of the company in a Financial Times interview.

At approximately 37.47 minutes into the podcast, Ridley informed his co-host, Matt Carey, at the conclusion of the episode.

“He came out last Friday, from when you and I were speaking right now, really denigrating the Disney company because of two films in particular, two franchises. One was Black Panther and the other was The Marvel series. And he literally said why do I have to have films with an all-black cast? Why do I have to have films with all-female casts?”

Ridley pointed out that the franchises mentioned by Peltz were extremely successful at the box office, generating billions of dollars. To further support his argument, Ridley brought up the box-office successes of films with female leads such as Barbie and Emma Stone’s Poor Things, which collectively won multiple Oscars this year. He argued that comments that are “casually racist and casually misogynistic”are not only offensive, but also foolish from a business standpoint.

He stated:

“Trust me people were not complaining when Barbie was massively overperforming. When films like Poor Things, which is female-led, were doing amazing and challenging things.”

In addition, he stated:

“When people who try to express themselves as being the smartest people in the room saying things that are not only casually racist or casually misogynistic but also from a business sense are patently stupid.”

He subsequently highlighted that Nelson Peltz’s attempt to secure seats on the Disney board involved belittling financially successful films.

“Who is gonna say to the shareholders, you know those billion dollar franchises you have, why did we do them and by the way we would like a couple of seats on your board.”

Despite their claims of being the most intelligent individuals present, Ridley specifically called out a pair of billionaires, accusing them of being “ignorant”and “myopic.”

“When I go through my day and see people standing up, whether it’s this Peltz dude, Elon Musk, Bill Ackman and they think they are so smart and reveal themselves publicly as being hyper ignorant and Myopic and seemingly incapable. Having money doesn’t make you smart, it just means you have money. We treat these folks as the smartest people around and yet they are upset because, “Oh my gosh! we have films with women.”Are you kidding me?”

After starting a battle with Disney’s board in January 2023 due to the decreasing share price following its purchase of 21st Century Fox for $71 billion, Nelson Peltz is now aiming to secure a position on the board in order to make management changes. However, Disney and its CEO Bob Iger have opposed his attempt.

According to insiders familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that the proxy battle between Walt Disney Company and Iger against Nelson Peltz is expected to be won by the former after the board of directors casts their vote on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.