Shortly after the initial report surfaced that Disney had entered into talks with 21st Century Fox to acquire the latter’s movie properties ad right, a second report has arrived throwing that deal into doubt.
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According to Bloomberg, while the original report in so far as the talks did take place, the discussion stalled several weeks ago. Bloomberg cited its own unnamed source, who confirmed CNBC’s details, but added, “the two sides aren’t talking anymore.”
As a result, the deal is now effectively dead, though it should be noted that in Hollywood, deals do have a tendency to be resurrected after being officially announced as dead; the current deal between Sony and Marvel to share Spider-Man went through that very news cycle. The fact that Disney and Fox were in talks in the first place would indicate that there remains a chance, however slight, that the studios might yet come to an agreement.
After a deal was made between Sony and Marvel Studios to share Spider-Man, fans hoped Marvel and Fox could work out a similar deal to allow for the X-Men and Fantastic Four to join the Avengers on the big screen. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has repeatedly reaffirmed that while fans should never say never, the chances of it happening seemed — and continue to be — slim.
The deal would not have included the Fox broadcast network, as a company cannot legally own two broadcast networks, and Disney already owns ABC.
Marvel Studios recently celebrated $5 billion at the domestic office after Thor: Ragnarok earned an astounding $121 million from its opening weekend stateside. Up next for the entertainment giant is Black Panther.