The X-Men return to Marvel in 2019!
The X-Men, along with the Fantastic Four and related properties, look to to return to Marvel by the end of Summer 2019 at the latest.
Fox Studios held a meeting where 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice let it be known that the Disney purchase of Fox Studios will be completed by the Spring-Summer of 2019, or at the latest, the end of Summer 2019.
In addition to the X-Men and Fantastic Four, Disney will also now have the rights to Deadpool, Cable, X-Force, Wolverine, Silver Surfer, Galactus, Annihilus, Super Skrull and the Badoon.
The deal also sees Disney acquire Fox TV, which includes FX Network, and shows such as Legion, The Gifted, The Simpsons, Futurama and The X-Files.
Disney also will now have the full rights to the original Star Wars trilogy, will have James Cameron’s Avatar, and the Planet of the Apes franchise and Predator.
Regarding the X-Men and Fantastic Four back at Marvel, Kevin Feige recently sidestepped the possibility as he said they are not thinking about it and focusing on what they have already announced.
The Avengers: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo, however, have thrown themselves into the mix for a Secret Wars movie, which would feature all the Marvel characters.
Likewise, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has also stated he is excited for the Silver Surfer and Annihilus, and Surfer is even rumored for Infinity War and/or Avengers 4.
A big bump for Marvel will come when they recast Wolverine as Hugh Jackman recently retired from the role; rumors have stated that both Disney and Marvel Studios are excited about the possibility to recast Wolverine and bringing him into the MCU fold.
It’s not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows regarding Disney buying Fox Studios as there are a differences in opinions, with some offering The Mouse will not be going with certain projects such as a Gambit movie, X-23 or something like a New Mutants will never happen again (speaking of New Mutants, it’s release date follows the Disney acquisition, so there is something to keep an eye on).
There has also been concern about Deadpool, as it’s an rated-R property, but Disney CEO Bob Iger did state they will be keeping the property the same; however, Disney/Marvel TV did recently stop the Deadpool animated series from moving forward because it seemed too risky and adult, so the concern looks to be valid.
It’s presently unknown how Disney will bring the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU. Should they reboot all the actors and characters in their entirety and act as if none of the previous X-Men movies ever happened? Should Marvel use the same actors that are starring in the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix? It seems a given that Ryan Reynolds will play Deadpool for years to come, but what about the other X-Men related characters? We can also guess the Fantastic Four will be rebooted in the MCU. So who could play Marvel’s first COSMIC family?
Marvel Studios has only announced two movies officially for their Phase 4 plans, which follows the May release of Avengers 4, with Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 in July 2019 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in 2020. Maybe new X-Men and Fantastic Four movies will be in Phase 4 as well?
