(From a pages of a Mar 26 emanate of Variety.)

Two years before Robert Iger is set to step down as CEO of a Walt Disney Co., there’s already speak around Hollywood that a Mouse House arch competence not be prepared to give adult a keys to a Magic Kingdom in 2015 as planned.

The gibberish competence only be sad meditative on a partial of some during a Mouse House, where Iger stays a renouned boss. Shareholders positively don’t wish to see him go, drumming him as both CEO and authority in 2010, and rewarding him with a $40 million payday final year for boosting Disney’s batch cost to record levels.

Technically, Iger will sojourn during Disney by Jun 30, 2016, as chairman. But Disney has not dynamic who will attain him on Mar 31, 2015, when he’s skedded to relinquish a CEO pretension after 10 years in a tip job.

In 2015, Disney is approaching to see a fruits of large deals that Iger has shepherded, particularly a opening of a large thesis park in Shanghai and a initial new Star Wars pic harvested from a company’s $4 billion merger of Lucasfilm final year. With so most going on, some consternation if a Disney house competence try to convince Iger to extend his tenure as CEO to see those projects through.

The authority who eventually winds adult next him competence count on a predestine of one of Iger’s biggest passion projects: a Shanghai Disney Resort.

Iger brokered a understanding with a Chinese supervision in 2009 to build a large $3.7 billion thesis park, now underneath construction outward a Chinese city. Disney owns 43% of a project, that will embody a park, hotels and restaurants — and will offer as a Mouse’s biggest code envoy inside mainland China.

A successful opening would offer as a ideal swan strain for a CEO, praised for bolstering Disney’s flesh with a acquisitions of Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm in reduction than a decade. It competence also establish either Thomas Staggs will be promoted to CEO.

Staggs has been seen as a contender for a purpose ever given he became authority of a Walt Disney Parks and Resorts organisation in 2010. So is former parks multiplication arch and stream CFO Jay Rasulo.

Staggs has overseen a largest enlargement of a company’s vacation biz in years, propping adult assemblage during a parks around a origination with costly new attractions and overhauls, rising journey ships and building a Aulani review in Hawaii.

Staggs formerly spent 12 years as arch financial officer. He played a pivotal purpose in appropriation Capital Cities/ABC, Pixar and Marvel, during that he worked closely with Iger. It’s an considerable resume given fasten Disney as a manager of vital formulation in 1990.

However, it could be tough for Iger to leave if there are any delays with a opening of Shanghai Disneyland.

Adding to a activity in 2015, Disney is staid to open a $500 million Avatar-themed section, formed on James Cameron’s franchise, inside Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. And a studio will expected have a ensign year over Star Wars with a recover of The Avengers sequel, Ant-Man, a fifth Pirates of a Caribbean, and an strange Pixar pic.

When Iger set his two-step exit plan during a time of his final exec contract, inked in 2011, he pronounced he was committed to augmenting long-term value for shareholders. “(I) am assured we will continue to do so by a successful execution of a core vital priorities: a origination of high quality, branded calm and experiences, a use of technology, and formulating expansion in countless and sparkling general markets,” he said.

As all those skeleton comes to fruition, a intensity rewards competence only be too sparkling for Iger to not be CEO.

Other Top CEO Expiration Dates:

Robert Iger is due to exit his pursuit after than dual other pivotal execs.

Steve Burke, 54,
CEO of NBCUniversal
Contract expires: Dec. 31, 2014

Chase Carey, 58,
Deputy chairman, boss and COO of News Corp.
Contract expires: Jun 30, 2014

Leslie Moonves, 64,
CEO of CBS Corp.
Contract expires: Jun 30, 2017