After months of delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations, Disney has sealed a deal to purchase the majority of 21st Century Fox, one of its biggest rivals.
The $52.4 billion (£39bn) merger will see Disney assume control the of company’s film division, 21st Century Fox film, cable channels such as FX and National Geographic, as well as its large stakes in Sky and Hulu, the New York Post reports. Fox will retain ownership of the Fox News network, Fox Sports and Fox Business.
The announcement “resets the Hollywood power grid”, says The Washington Post, giving Disney control over a host of franchises including The Simpsons, Planet of the Apes and Alien, in addition to its existing brands such as Star Wars and The Avengers.
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The possibilities of the merger were not lost on fans of the Marvel comic book universe.
Fox’s ownership of the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises has been a thorn in the side of Marvel film fans, who have long dreamt of seeing the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops and the Human Torch on screen alongside their fellow Marvel heroes, who are all owned by Disney.
Fans were keen to share their ideas - some tongue in cheek - for the crossovers made possible with all Disney’s new assets:
One user even came up with their own artist’s impression of how one Fox property might look re-imagined along Disney lines:
However, some thought the celebrations were short-sighted:
And, as ever, we learnt that The Simpsons - now a Disney property - already did it:
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