It’s now official – Walt Disney Company has purchased key parts of 21st Century Fox including the 20th Century Fox movie studio and the 20th Century Fox Television production company, along with media assets like Fox Searchlight, Fox 2000, FX Networks, FX Productions, National Geographic Partners, Fox21, Fox Regional Sports Networks, and Fox’s stake in Hulu, Star India, Endemol Shine Group and Sky.
Not included in the deal due to anti-trust restrictions are Fox News, the FOX broadcast network, or Fox Sports, which all remain a part of the Fox empire – as will the Fox studio lot in Century City. Those will be separated and maintained either under a newly listed company that will be spun off to its shareholders, or merge with News Corp. itself.
Disney now has its hands on Fox’s key franchises including “X-Men,” “Alien,” “Predator,” “Avatar,” “Die Hard,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Kingsman” and “Fantastic Four” (which is listed in the press release). Disney now also controls the full rights to all “Star Wars” films with the previously Fox-owned 1977 original likely to go back to Disney’s Lucasfilm – meaning theatrical re-releases and a potential home video version of the original theatrical cut.
Disney’s upcoming streaming service will also benefit with the addition of a ton of Fox content. The entire deal was done for approximately $52.4 billion in stock along with Disney also assuming approximately $13.7 billion of net debt for a total transaction value of approximately $66.1 billion.
At the request of both 21st Century Fox and the Disney Board of Directors, Mr. Iger has agreed to continue as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company through the end of calendar year 2021.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and 21st Century Fox have approved the transaction, which is subject to shareholder approval by 21st Century Fox and Disney shareholders, clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, a number of other non-United States merger and other regulatory reviews, and other customary closing conditions. It’s expected it will take 12-18 months to gain the necessary approvals to fuse the companies. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRichard:
Are they still working on blocking this purchase? Man I hope so.
My guess would be that since it clearly favors Trump there will not be a push to block it. It will have to go through the process (anywhere from 9 months to 2 years) but it's a done deal... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rausch:
My guess would be that since it clearly favors Trump there will not be a push to block it. It will have to go through the process (anywhere from 9 months to 2 years) but it's a done deal...
Dem's want to block it.
My guess is if Dems win the house and senate during midterms they will try to keep it in the courts. [Reply]
BREAKING: Disney and Fox shareholders have voted to approve the $71.3 billion merger of the two companies, marking another step closer to @MarvelStudios introducing the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU! pic.twitter.com/XU9eGWn1Or
Originally Posted by Direckshun:
We need to kill the Fantastic Four.
Fox has tried -- you can't circle that square. Keep those characters off the screen.
Are you serious?
Doom and Silver Surfer alone, if done right, are probably top 5 characters in the Marvel universe.. and that's leaving out the Four themselves as well as Galactus. [Reply]
Doom and Silver Surfer alone, if done right, are probably top 5 characters in the Marvel universe.. and that's leaving out the Four themselves as well as Galactus.
This. The merger opens the MCU up to the full possible spectrum of taking the stories to the celestial beings, and you absolutely need Galactus and the Surfer in that mix if they want to do it right.
I never got in to the FF as a kid, but I loved it when they were part of a collaboration story. They were absolutely vital in both the original Secret Wars and Infinity Gauntlet runs, but I could never get around to caring about them enough to get in to their "own" stories.
Doom transcends just being the main baddie for the FF - he's taken on literally every hero Marvel has. They need to do HIS story as much justice as they do the FF, and maybe even more. [Reply]
We're a step closer to X-Men becoming a part of the MCU, as Disney CEO Bob Iger confirms that, as and when a Disney-Fox merger goes through, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios would take the lead on the longtime Fox franchise.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Iger responded to a question on how Marvel will absorb the X-Men franchise, and if Kevin Feige will oversee it:
"I think it only makes sense. I want to be careful here because of what's been communicated to the Fox folks, but I think they know. It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn't be two Marvels."
This isn't necessarily a confirmation that X-Men will become a part of the MCU - there is presumably some question of how to intertwine or wrap up the current X-Men timeline, or if it would be rebooted entirely - but this plan certainly makes that a possibility.
When asked if Deadpool could become an Avenger, Iger was less committal: "Kevin's got a lot of ideas. I'm not suggesting that's one of them. But who knows?"
Disney's $71.3 billion buyout of Fox and its properties looks more and more likely, with Disney having won antitrust approval from the US Justice Department. [Reply]
