If Comcast Beats Disney To Buying Fox, What Comes Next For The X-MEN And FANTASTIC FOUR?
There appears to be a very strong chance that Comcast will manage to steal Fox right from under Disney's nose but if that does happen, what does the future hold in store for the X-Men and Fantastic Four?
Back in 2014/2015, we all waited with baited breath as report after report claimed that plans were being put in place to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It simply felt too good to be true and pretty much all of us went through a will they/won't they type relationship with the news until it was finally made official (similar to what's currently happening with Ben Affleck and Batman).
Earlier this year, Disney started the process of acquiring 21st Century Fox and announced that the merger would bring the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Deadpool into the MCU. Unfortunately, that was seemingly too good to be true as it now appears as if Comcast could end up pulling the rug from under Disney's feet and while there's more at stake here than those Marvel characters, that means we won't see them teaming up with the likes of The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy in the MCU.
So, if Comcast does end up winning, what does that mean for the X-Men and Fantastic Four moving forward? That's what we're taking a look at here, exploring all the possibilities and taking a closer look at the movie which will happen if Fox is able to carry on with business as usual. To check these out, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button down below to see the entire breakdown.
They Could Still Arrive In The MCU
This could be wishful thinking but there are a couple of different scenarios which could bring the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For starters, when Marvel sold the rights to the characters to Fox, there may have been a provision stating that the studio couldn't then sell them on without their permission. As Comcast is looking to buy Fox as a whole, though, the Marvel Comics heroes might be part and parcel of that so there's a chance this sadly won't come to pass.
Some Wall Street analysts believe that Disney and Comcast will ultimately choose to split Fox's assets and seeing as the latter is more interested in Sky Television than anything else, it's feasible that the movie and TV studios will become Disney's and the X-Men and Fantastic Four will then return home.
A Full Franchise Reboot
It's hard to say just how involved Comcast will be in the movie side of things but seeing as they already own Universal, there will almost certainly be some massive shakeups in terms of who is in charge of what. With that in mind, it's possible that Fox will have to go back to the drawing board, abandoning the current status quo and attempting to deliver a shared world which can finally rival the MCU.
They might assemble a writers room or just hire some fresh blood and get rid of Simon Kinberg (who has essentially been in charge of the X-Men franchise for years now). Either way, a full reboot isn't too far-fetched but there's another, unfortunately, more likely, option for these beloved Marvel heroes...
Business As Usual
Ugh. Say what you will about Fox's movies but the vast majority have been successful commercially so there's a strong chance that Comcast will be happy for the studio to crack on as usual and make these movies as planned. That's probably going to be welcomed by a very small group of fans but it's not a very exciting prospect, especially as it pales in comparison to the heroes finally entering the MCU.
More Deadpool. A Lot More Deadpool
Honestly, no matter what happens to Fox if Comcast acquires the company, this is pretty much a given. Deadpool 2 didn't exactly exceed expectations at the box office but it still did very well and movies like Deadpool 3 and X-Force stand a great chance of being huge successes from a commercial standpoint.
If none of the others movies mentioned throughout this feature happen, expect the Merc with the Mouth to receive the spotlight for a very long time to come before his popularity isn't waning and Comcast will want to keep a good thing going (Disney, on the other hand, may have mixed feelings about an R-Rated franchise becoming part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward).
These Movies Actually Happen:
Over the past eighteen months or so, we've heard a lot about Fox's tentative plans for their Marvel characters and assuming it is business as usual at the studio moving forward, then we can probably expect all of these to happen. Here's an update on where things stand and what you should expect:
- Doctor Doom
Noah Hawley has completed the movie's screenplay and while there's still some work to do according to the director, he's basically waiting to receive the green light from Fox (which obviously hasn't come due to this impending merger). Apparently, it will explore Doctor Doom's status as a hero or villain in a movie which has been described as a political thirller...which likely won't include the Fantastic Four.
- Gambit
This one has been stuck in development forever but Fox execs continue saying it's still happening so if they're given the chance to make it, you have to believe it will ultimately happen (even if Channing Tatum decides to move on). There's currently no director and we have no clue what's going on with the screenplay so God knows what's going on and how long the film will take to finally come to fruition.
- Fantastic Four
The last update we had about Fantastic Four was that a reboot was in the works which would take place from the point of view of Franklin and Valeria Richards. That could either be very good or very bad and seeing as it's now been three years since Josh Trank's movie came out, it's easy to imagine that the studio probably would have just let the rights revert by now if it wasn't for villains like Doom.
- X-23
There have been rumblings for a while now that James Mangold will take the helm of a movie revolving around Dafne Keen's X-23 but seeing as the filmmaker has been tempted by Disney to take the helm of Boba Fett, this has got to be on the backburner now. It could still happen, of course, but a far more likely destination for the mutant right now is a future X-Force movie at this stage so time will tell.
- Multiple Man
James Franco is developing this R-Rated X-Men spinoff and while there's no denying that it would be a lot of fun seeing him step into this role, it's hard to imagine it sticking too closely to the comic books as the actor is more likely to take the premise and run with it than deliver a Jamie Madrox fans want to see. Regardless, it's clearly still in the very early stages of development so who know what will happen.
New Leadership = A New Hope
Going back to a point I made a little earlier in this post, Comcast deciding that someone new needs to start overseeing the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises could be the best thing that's ever happened to them (well, aside from Kevin Feige taking charge). Can you imagine if they decided that they want to follow in the footsteps of Sony and allow Marvel Studios creative control over these iconic characters?
That's obviously a dream scenario but not necessarily one which is all that unlikely. New leadership might be a good thing regardless because you need only look at what's currently going on at Warner Bros. to see that putting someone else in charge can result in some positive changes to a franchise.
What About Marvel Studios?
Well, if Marvel Studios don't wind up getting the X-Men, they'll be just fine. Yes, Kevin Feige is probably salivating over the thought of having the Fantastic Four and X-Men in the same world as The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy but he's managed for a decade without them so can probably continue doing the same, especially with franchises like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and The Eternals in play.
If the Comcast deal goes ahead and Disney is frozen out, then we can forget about ever seeing these characters in the MCU so any hopes of Earth's Mightiest Heroes battling the likes of Doctor Doom and Galactus will go out of the window, as will an Avengers Vs. X-Men movie. That will be a shame but something we'll just have to accept as money talks and that's what Fox will ultimately go with.