Beyond The Parks

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Now that the Disney buying Fox is all but a done deal (all indications are that it is indeed a done deal) this creates some rather fascinating possibilities for some Disney owned franchises, namely Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

So we figured we'd take some time to outline these a bit
Written by Gregg Condon

Star Wars Universe

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Since Star Wars is on everybody's mind right now and we all should have our tickets for The Last Jedi this weekend, why don't we start here. 

Some people are talking about Star Wars movies having the 20th Century Fox Logo in front of them because it's somehow weird without it. Hogwash. 

Would it be cool, sure, is it going to happen, not seeing that as a top priority AT ALL. 

No, what we need to see is: 
  • Total re-do of the prequel trilogy
There are some things the prequels got right, there are a LOT of things the prequels got wrong. Things to keep: Darth Maul, Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan and that's about it. Honestly, I wouldn't even hate Hayden Christiansen coming back. Some aspects of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side are good, of course you have to have a love story in order to get Luke and Leia, but it doesn't have to be cheesy and full of sand. Anakin should complete his fall to the Dark Side by the end of Episode II and Episode III should bridge the gap between the Rise of the Empire to Episode IV, well, Rogue One now. 

Or just make Episode III I/II to bridge the gap. Who knows. Maybe bridging this gap is the next Rian Johnson Trilogy. Or perhaps the gap between Episode VI and VII. 
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  • Release of Remastered Non Special Edition Original Trilogy in HD 
No brainer, this would be like printing money. 

There's really nothing more that needs to be done other than that at this point. Disney was going to keep making Star Wars movies without 20th Century Fox. 

Marvel

There's a reason why Disney has not yet announced what's coming in Phase 4 of the MCU. All indications are that Avengers: Infinity War and it's sequel are going to shake up the MCU in a MAJOR way. Including the departure of a few of the Marvel characters we've grown to love over the last decade. 

Sure, the introduction of other characters like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, the continuing stories of Ant Man and The Wasp are going to be amazing. But if you lose Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and possibly the Chris' as Captain America and Thor that leaves a HUGE hole in the MCU. 

A hole that could EASILY be filled with X-Men and Fantastic Four. It would't even be considered a downgrade of the MCU. 

Let's also not forger that Hugh Jackman said he may play Wolverine again if he were to join the MCU. While I don't personally see this happening it's fun to speculate on this. 

When it comes to Fantastic Four, Disney has the perfect model to "reboot" a franchise without actually starting from scratch, and that model is Spiderman: Homecoming. All you need is a new cast, some nods to the origin of the Fantastic Four and one of the existing MCU members to play a small role in the movie. Done, Done, and Done. 

Heck, you can even add the 2005 version of Fantastic Four into MCU canon and use that as your origin story. Because it was a good movie. But as I said above, you'd need a new cast unless Chris Evans is going to switch roles. 

The biggest question about 20th Century Fox and Marvel is probably with Deadpool. Any deal that would change what Deadpool is would be bad. Not saying they couldn't eventually add him to the MCU, but his solo movies should remain Rated R. It would be a HUGE mistake to do anything different with that character. 

Other IP's

A list of 20th Century Fox IP's that Disney could take advantage of: 
  • Avatar
  • Planet of the Apes
  • Alien
  • Predator
  • Dude, Where's My Car
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Ok, that last one is a bit of a joke, but Disney already has a relationship for the Avatar franchise in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Planet of the Apes could be another potential franchise to bring to parks as well. And of course, this includes distribution for future films in all of these franchises. 

Streaming, Streaming, Streaming, Streaming, Streaming

Don't let this deal fool you. While sure, having distribution rights to all Star Wars movies is great and having the X-men in the MCU is awesome, and having access to all other IP's for both sequels and theme park use is a nice cherry on top, the REAL meat and potatoes of this deal is that it opens up an entirely new set of possibilities for Disney's streaming service. 

If you include the movies we've already talked about like Star Wars, Marvel Movies, Avatar, Apes, Alien, and yes, Dude, Where's My Car you also have movies like Cast Away, Ice Age, Walk the Line, The Devil Wears Prada, Die Hard, Taken, Kingsman. 

Oh, and did you forget TV distribution as well? This would include many shows that are now or in the past have been on Disney owned ABC but still the property of 21st Century Fox. 
LA Law, 21 Jump Street, The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Modern Family, 24, This Is Us, THE SIMPSONS, Family Guy, King of the Hill, Futurama, 
There are a LOT of possibilities for this deal IF it goes through. But it could mean another feather in Bob Iger's cap who's rumored to be staying on board through 2019 to help the transition of this deal, because it's a BIG one. 

So what do you think? Is this a good deal for Disney? Are you excited about the opportunity for new characters being brought into the Disney universe? Let us know in the comments below. 
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