Former Disney chief executive Bob Chapek will publish a memoir, Behind the Castle Walls: My Thirty Years at the Happiest Place on Earth, on 29 September. The book will be his first public account of the turbulent period between becoming Disney CEO in 2020 and being dismissed in 2022, offering his perspective on leadership, internal tensions and the pressures surrounding the company.

Chapek joined Disney in 1993 and later led Consumer Products and Parks, Experiences and Products before succeeding Bob Iger as CEO just as the Covid-19 pandemic shut major parts of Disney’s business. His tenure drew criticism over management decisions, a dispute with Scarlett Johansson and Disney’s response to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation; Iger returned as CEO after Chapek’s departure, following an arrangement in which he had remained executive chairman with control over creative matters.