Bob Iger is planning a meeting with Martin Scorsese.
The legendary filmmaker sparked debate earlier this year when he dismissed Marvel movies – which are now owned and made under the Disney umbrella – as "not cinema" and compared them to "theme parks" but Iger is keen to move on from the issue.
Time Magazine, which named Iger as Businessperson of the Year, reports that the Disney CEO revealed that "his people" and Scorsese’s team are "arranging a get-together".
In an interview with Time, Bob said: "If Marty Scorsese wants to be in the business of taking artistic risk, all power to him. It doesn’t mean that what we’re doing isn’t art."
‘The Irishman’ director went on to expand on his criticism of the MCU in The New York Times newspaper, suggesting that the blockbusters lack "revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger".
He wrote: "Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes."
Iger previously rebuffed Scorsese’s criticism, suggesting that the 76-year-old had never seen a Marvel film.
He said: "I don’t think he’s ever seen a Marvel film. Anyone who’s seen a Marvel film could not in all truth make that statement."
However, the 68-year-old did describe Scorsese as a "great filmmaker".
Iger commented: "Martin Scorsese is a great filmmaker. I admire him immensely. He’s made some great films. I would debate him on this subject. First of all, Marvel’s making movies. They’re movies. That’s what Martin Scorsese makes. And they’re good movies."
Disney CEO Bob Iger to meet Marvel critic Martin Scorsese
