Have you ever imagined Scott Summers and Tony Stark together in one movie? Or Deadpool joining the Avengers? Well, that can become a reality now, as Disney and Twentieth Century Fox completed a merger. First announced in December 2017, Disney has agreed to acquire Twentieth Century Fox for a whopping $71.3 billion. BBC revealed that with the merger, Disney will be acquiring Fox’s movie and television studios, regional sports networks, international holdings, and other investments.

The deal means that Disney will acquire rights to franchises like The X-Men, Deadpool, The Fantastic Four, and the Avatar franchise from James Cameron.

Disney will also acquire TV hits like "The X-Files," "Empire," "Modern Family," and "The Simpsons." According to Entertainment Weekly, Disney will also acquire 21st Century Fox’s production businesses, such as Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Family, and Fox Animation.

“This is an extraordinary and historic moment for us,” said Robert Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Walt Disney Company. The decision to buy Fox will allow Disney to compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix, which has given customers new ways of viewing. As it invests heavily on online streaming platforms, the deal will allow the entertainment company to scale up its business and counter the threats from its rivals in terms of the pay-TV business.

A new National Treasure movie may also be coming.

Fox News stays on

The merger does not include the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox Corp. Fox will create a smaller firm focusing on news and cover live sporting events in the US. The company retains its flagship Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Sports, Fox Television Stations Group, and its sports cable networks.

For Lachlan Murdoch, this gives Fox the opportunity to return to its roots and become more aggressive. There are rumors that Fox will try to reunite with their spun-off news businesses. However, Rupert Murdoch himself said that it is still far from the future for that to happen.

What’s in it for the future?

There is high anticipation on the fan level for the potential of X-Men characters joining the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, there are still projects that need to be worked on before that happens. For instance, there are projects in limbo, such as The New Mutants and the future Deadpool movies.

According to X-Men franchise producer Lauren Schuler, the ball is in Disney’s court now. Aside from that, Disney is also on the verge of releasing its own streaming platform, Disney+, which will come up with its own original properties, such as the live-action Star Wars series, "The Mandalorian," and a High School Musical based series. Disney also has a new Lion King trademark. On the corporate level, 4,000 employees could be laid off as a result of the merger.
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