The list of companies Disney owns is quite impressive, as it includes Marvel, Lucasfilm, and others, and now it looks like 21st Century Fox could be the next company on the list.
CNBC is reporting that 21st Century Fox had talks with Disney about possibly selling most of the company. Fox reportedly wants to focus more on properties based around news and sports according to people close to the situation.
The two sides have been in talks over the past few weeks, but it’s not guaranteed that a deal will be made. Disney and Fox are not currently talking at the moment, but due to the off again, on again nature of the negotiations the talks could resume at some point.
Fox has opted to focus on news and sports because the company doesn’t believe that they’ll be able to acquire intellectual property the same way that a company like Disney can. The news and sports divisions would stay with Fox, as Disney could potentially run into antitrust laws with ESPN network, and Disney would also not be buying Fox News or Fox’s local broadcasting affiliates.
The film rights for X-Men and Fantastic four are currently licensed by Fox, so if Disney does end up acquiring the film studio, the acquisition could potentially open the door for the X-Men and Fantastic Four to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.
In addition to the movie studio, Disney would also acquire Star and Sky, as well as networks FX and National Geographic.
A deal is far from being done as talks are not currently ongoing. Officials from Disney and Fox declined to comment, but if a deal is eventually made it could possibly be a dream come true for Marvel fans.
