Disney’s full acquisition of X-Men at 20th Century Fox can take 12-18 months.

As you may already know, Disney recently made a deal to acquire various parts of 21st Century Fox, including movie studio 20th Century Fox which owns the X-MEN film franchise. Though an agreement has been reached, the deal still needs to be finalized and go through some legalities; a process which can take anywhere from 12-18 months. This means 20th Century Fox will continue to operate as its own studio free from Disney’s rule and may greenlight film projects as they see fit.

According to Variety, “top Democrats on the Senate and House antitrust subcommittees are calling for hearings on the Walt Disney Co.’s proposed acquisition of a large portion of 21st Century Fox, including its film and TV studio, cable networks, and regional sports channels.”

There has been concern that allowing Disney to obtain such massive businesses would create a monopoly that places too much power in one company. Not to mention the massive loss of jobs that would be expected with such an acquisition.

“I’m concerned about the impact of this transaction on American consumers,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Rep. David Cicilline is requesting an investigation into the deal, saying that “Disney’s proposed purchase of 21st Century Fox threatens to put control of TV, movie, and news content into the hands of a single media giant.”

“If it’s approved, this merger could allow Disney to limit what consumers can watch and increase their cable bills. Disney will gain more than 300 channels, 22 regional sports networks, control over Hulu, and a significant portion of Roku.”

While this major transaction does not require approval by Congress, the Justice Department is said to be reviewing the case and it may face hearings before getting the thumbs up.

Source: Variety