How The Massive Disney/Fox Deal Might Affect Your Favourite TV & Movies
We could finally be getting an Avengers/X-Men crossover.
Looks like we might finally be getting that Avengers/X-Men crossover: Disney has purchased a massive chunk of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in a deal worth upwards of $68 billion ($US54 billion).
Assuming the acquisition goes through — it could still technically be scuppered by antitrust regulators — Mickey will get his paws on some of the biggest film and television properties on the planet, including X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool, Avatar, Planet of the Apes, The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Horror Story.
Disney is one of the biggest players in the film industry, with an empire that includes Marvel Studios, LucasFilm and Pixar, as well as Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
That means there could be a whole bunch of crossovers in the near future. If the deal goes through, Disney will own the rights to all of the characters from the X-Men universe, not just the big ones like Wolverine. We could also see characters from the Fantastic 4 suddenly popping up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The deal opens up all kinds of creative opportunities. Wolverine vs. Iron Man? Sure! Bart Simpson meets Moana? Why not! A Star Wars film featuring the crew from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia? The possibilities are endless.
Disney buying Fox means the Boss Baby is officially a Disney Princess
— mat whitehead (@matwhi) December 14, 2017
DISNEY NOW OWNS THE RIGHTS TO STEAMED HAMS
— ??Bill Oakley?? (@thatbilloakley) December 14, 2017
I hope Disney knows that I am also fairly easy to acquire
— Andrew Briedis (@AndrewBriedis) December 14, 2017
The Simpsons has now predicted Disney buying Fox, the FIFA scandal, Greece’s economic collapse & President Trump (via @TomButler) pic.twitter.com/yj3qjx9TBB
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 14, 2017
The deal does not include the Fox broadcast network, which includes Fox News, Fox Sports, and Fox Business. According to Deadline, insiders expect that these remaining assets will eventually be merged with Murdoch’s News Corp.
The acquisition of Fox’s massive content library is undoubtedly a major coup for the Mouse House, as it prepares to launch its own streaming service service to rival the likes of Netflix.
The deal means Disney acquires a majority stake in streaming service Hulu, which could have big implications for which franchises are shown on which platforms. Imagine a streaming service that has exclusive rights to films by Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars. That’s kind of a big deal.