Disney’s reportedly in early talks to buy parts of 21st Century Fox. CNBC reports the talks have been going on for a few weeks, without any guarantee they’ll end in a deal. The discussion is primarily focused on Fox’s movie studio and television production company and is said to not include Fox News or Fox sports assets (owning both Fox and ESPN could be an antitrust issue).
Even though this is just in the discussion stage, it’s fun to think about what it could mean for the movies. For one, X-Men properties (including Deadpool) and the Fantastic Four would be readily available to integrate into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc. Beyond that, the original 1977 Star Wars, the only film in the franchise still owned by Fox, would get tucked in with the rest of the movies, setting the stage for everything from reissues to theatrical events.