“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” arrives everywhere tomorrow, and while Disney thought it was probably savvy to officially announce their Fox deal today, perhaps they didn’t anticipate that the conversation would pretty much overwhelm the press cycle. Everyone is weighing in on what this might mean for the future of movies and, at least for the purposes of this article, Marvel.
Bob Iger has already said that Disney won’t try and mess with the R-rated success of “Deadpool,” but the larger question is whether or not a behemoth-sized mouse house would even dare to make something like that movie to start with. It’s something “Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman” creator Mark Millar is wondering about, though he does think that X-Men getting fresh life at Disney is probably the best thing for the franchise:
Good for Disney, bad for Fox as extra levels of bureaucracy creep into creative. Also bad for talent as agents have one less studio bidding for projects. I see zero upside to this, beautiful gambles like Deadpool never happening at Disney. https://t.co/pGJjDbC8YN
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017
X-Men/ Wolvie hit-rate very good at Fox, 6 out of 9 working well. But they're tired now & need a recharge. This is one area Disney could help as it's a fresh start. https://t.co/S2uCvrsgpq
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017
I think I'm also alone in not really caring about seeing all the franchises crossing over. Too many characters just becomes impenetrable to a mainstream audience. Marvel's simplicity has been a great strength.
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017
A final thought: If Marvel had X-Men & FF 5 years ago would they have made Guardians or Ant-Man? Disney will only make specific number per year. I hope the audience doesn't lose more unique projects now.
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017
Regardless, I have close friends at both studios and hope this works out well (just as I wished my Marvel publishing pals well when Disney took them over in 2009).
— Mark Millar (@mrmarkmillar) December 14, 2017
Ultimately, he has mixed feelings. That’s the general spirit out there right now. There are lots of possibilities on the table, but Disney’s new, massive media size does raise questions about how fleet-footed and creative they can be with so many checks and balances to account for.
Thoughts? Will X-Men fare better at Disney? Is it possible for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get too big? Let us know below.