SHAKE-UP AT DISNEY : Co-Pilots of the Next Studio Era : PROFILE: JOE ROTH : Maverick Co-Founder of Morgan Creek Is No Stranger to Eisner

Though he broke into the business as the maverick co-founder of independent Morgan Creek Productions, Joe Roth is no newcomer to Hollywood’s rough-and-tumble corporate world. For more than three years, he sat in Darryl F. Zanuck’s old office as the chairman of 20th Century Fox. A former director and producer, he was one of Hollywood’s only filmmakers to assume the post of studio chief before starting Caravan Pictures at Disney nearly two years ago.

Roth, a smooth-spoken and respected veteran of the Hollywood community, was seen by some as the likely heir to studio Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg as soon as he took the Caravan job, because of his friendship with Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael D. Eisner. But not until Wednesday morning, when Roth was walking on the beach with his wife, did the call from Eisner come through. “Nothing like this is ever undertaken without conflict,” the 46-year-old Roth said Wednesday. “But my decision was pretty clear. I’d just come back from vacation and realized I was missing a lot. I miss being involved in the distribution and marketing of a large slate of films. I miss the breadth of the studio chief job.”

A startled movie industry responded positively. “Joe brings both executive experience and a creative background to the job,” notes Frank Price, chairman of Price Entertainment and former studio chief of Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures. “As a former director and producer, he’s got great talent relationships and tremendous insight into movie making.”

Roth, whose Morgan Creek turned out such hits as “Major League” and “Young Guns,” led Fox to the two most profitable years in its history. Spurred by the astronomical success of “Home Alone,” the studio released “Die Hard 2,” “Sleeping With the Enemy” and “White Men Can’t Jump” under his reign.

Roth also had his share of box office failures, including “For the Boys” and “Shining Through.”

The track record at Caravan Pictures, which will now be overseen by Roth’s partner Roger Birnbaum, is also mixed. Only “The Three Musketeers” and “Angels in the Outfield” performed respectably. “Angie” and “I Love Trouble” proved to be major box office disappointments.

Though Universal chief Tom Pollock suggests that the differences between Katzenberg and Roth will be more stylistic than substantive, Roth points out that the job has been tailored a bit.

“I told Eisner that I wanted to do this job as a ‘movie person’--developing material, putting movies together,” he explains. “I’m not giving up the creative part . . . I’m just bringing it into a new realm. Jeffrey and I are different people and I won’t be inheriting the same job he had.” He added: “I’m not being asked to do anything I haven’t done--seeking out material and talented people to work with it.”