Sean Bailey
Biography
Sean Bailey is a prominent American film and television producer and executive, widely recognized for his extensive tenure as the President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production from 2010 to 2024. During his leadership, he spearheaded Disney's highly successful strategy of creating live-action adaptations of their classic animated films, significantly impacting the studio's global box office dominance for over a decade.
Early Career and LivePlanet: Bailey's career in entertainment began in the early 2000s. He was a co-founder and executive at LivePlanet, a production company he established in 2000 with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Chris Moore. In this role, he executive-produced the Emmy Award-nominated series Project Greenlight and co-created the ABC series Push, Nevada. His early producing credits also include feature films such as Best Laid Plans (1999), Matchstick Men (2003), and Gone Baby Gone (2007), directed by Ben Affleck.
From 2004 to 2008, Bailey held a writing-producing deal at ABC Studios while maintaining his roles at LivePlanet. In 2008, he founded Ideology Inc., a production banner focused on developing stories across various media, and notably produced Disney's Tron: Legacy (2010), a sequel to the 1982 film Tron.
Transforming Disney's Live-Action Strategy: In January 2010, Bailey was appointed President of Production at Walt Disney Studios. In this influential position, he oversaw all live-action development and production for Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures. He became instrumental in implementing a "tentpole" film strategy, which heavily emphasized large-budget films, including franchise sequels, original content, and, most notably, live-action adaptations of Disney's animated classics.
Under Bailey's leadership, Disney experienced immense success with these live-action reimaginings. Films like Alice in Wonderland (2010), Maleficent (2024), Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019), and The Lion King (2019) collectively grossed billions of dollars worldwide. Five films released under his oversight surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, including Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
Bailey is also credited with championing female-led tentpoles featuring empowered heroines and expanding representation in these roles, as seen with casting choices like Halle Bailey as Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Yara Shahidi as Tinker Bell in Peter Pan & Wendy. He also supported female directors for major projects.
Departure from Disney and Future Endeavors: After nearly 15 years at the helm, Sean Bailey announced his departure from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production in February 2024. He stated that the time was right for a new chapter. He will continue to serve as a producer on upcoming projects, including Tron: Ares (2025).
Beyond his executive roles, Bailey has also held board positions, serving as vice chair of the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees and a member of the Caltech Board of Trustees. He is also a founding investor of Teremana Tequila, founded by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
