Bob Iger’s Disney successor will be named this week — but when will he actually step away?

Anticipation of an announcement over who will replace Bob Iger as Walt Disney Company’s next CEO reached a crescendo over the weekend after it was reported late last week that Disney’s board of directors is meeting on Wednesday to vote on his replacement.

“It’s definitely going down this week,” said a source. Disney is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter financial results before the stock market opens on Monday and shareholders will be hanging on every word to see if there’s any indication of whether Disney experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro or entertainment co-chair Dana Walden — widely believed to be the two top candidates for the job — officially get the nod.

Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger speaking at an event with the Disney+ logo projected behind him. Getty Images for Disney

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night that Iger has told associates he plans to step down before the Dec. 31 end of his contract. Iger famously had a hard time committing to retirement when he stepped down as CEO back in 2020 (he returned two years later). WSJ reported that this time around the 74-year old has told associates that he’s eager to spend more time with his wife Willow Bay and on his new superyacht.

Whether Iger actually plans to step away from his day-to-day duties over the next ten months will be closely watched by Disney insiders, no one more so than the person tasked with replacing him.