Disney to purchase 21st Century Fox film & tv studios which include X-MEN.

Update 1: It’s happening. Read the official press release here.

Update 2: “We’re also looking forward to expanding the Marvel cinematic universe to include X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool and reuniting all of the Star Wars movies ever made under one roof, which opens new opportunities for that franchise,” says Disney’s Bob Iger [Deadline].

Original article:

A few months ago, if you told any X-Men film fan that there was a real possibility of the X-Men being under the ownership of Disney anytime soon, you’d be greeted with a hysterical laugh…but here we are and it’s reality.

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire 21st Century Fox’s assets for $52.4 billion in a mega-deal that will include Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox (home of the X-MEN film franchise) and FOX/FX television productions (THE GIFTED, LEGION).

This deal does include Fox News, Fox Sports, Fox Business or its broadcasting TV networks for local markets; Murdoch’s largest money-makers.

Long story short: Should the deal become fully approved by the government, Disney will be the most powerful entertainment studio in the world and the X-Men will be under the same roof as Marvel Studios, home of the MCU.

So, is the current X-Men cinematic universe we know and love is dead? That’s not a given, despite fan chatter. This process could take up to a year and upcoming films like THE NEW MUTANTS, DARK PHOENIX and DEADPOOL 2 are not going to be shelved or anything crazy like that.

Things could remain familiar on the surface, with the added bonus of being in the MCU (like with Spider-Man) or things could end up totally different, with the X-Men fully integrated and rebooted under Kevin Feige. Really, it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

This deal also includes the distribution rights for FANTASTIC FOUR, which is under Constantin Films.

Stay tuned for updates.

Source: The Guardian, Hollywood Reporter