‘Kingsman’ Creator Says Disney And Fox Deal Means Gambles Like ‘Deadpool’ Never Happening

Opinions seem to be split in regard to Disney‘s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and that includes the talented Mark Millar.

Millar is known for several popular series over the years, including the Kingsman series and Marvel’s Civil War and Old Man Logan, both of which have been translated (or inspired) film adaptations. Millar sees the upside for Disney but explained he isn’t too keen on everything else.

“Good for Disney, bad for Fox as extra levels of bureaucracy creep into creative,” Millar said. “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.”

While Millar isn’t crazy about this deal overall, he does think it will work out well for the X-Men franchise, which is in need of a refresh. “X-Men/ Wolvie hit-rate very good at Fox, 6 out of 9 working well,” Millar said. “But they’re tired now & need a recharge. This is one area Disney could help as it’s a fresh start.”

He’s also not thrilled about crossover potential, one of the biggest draws of a deal like this. “I think I’m also alone in not really caring about seeing all the franchises crossing over,” Millar said. “Too many characters just becomes impenetrable to a mainstream audience. Marvel’s simplicity has been a great strength.”

He sees having too many characters to choose from as a negative, and that can lead to fewer risks being taken.

“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,” Millar said. “I hope the audience doesn’t lose more unique projects now. 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).”

When someone brought up that the Deadpool franchise, one of Millar’s examples, was moving forward at Disney, Millar said “A sequel to a $55M movie that made $800M is not a risk. My concern is that a gamble like Deadpool will not happen now. We’ll see.”

The Disney Fox deal is now official, but it won’t actually be complete for another year or so, so fans don’t have to worry about seeing any immediate changes regardless of which side of the fence they inhabit.