Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Fox Deal Will Close "Soon"

After being officially announced last year, the biggest merger in the history of the entertainment industry is finally on the verge of being finalized. The Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox are about to become one.

Many reports have suggested that Disney's purchase of Fox would overcome the final International hurdle sometime in March, allowing the deal to actually close. As of now, that timeline still looks to be accurate, as Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that things would be finished "soon."

The most powerful man in Hollywood spoke at the annual Disney shareholders meeting on Thursday in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fox deal was one of the first things that he brought up to those in attendance, as well as everyone listening around the world, and he assured that things would be completed in the very near future. He also said that his team had been working on integrating the two companies so that, when the deal is done, the new Disney can "hit the ground running."

This deal will include all of Fox's studios as well as networks like FX and National Geographic, while the actual FOX channel will remain as its own entity. Iger made it clear later in the meeting that FX, Fox Searchlight, and several other properties would continue to operate under their own brand names, but would simply fall under the wide Disney umbrella.

For comic fans, this deal marks the end of an era, as the film rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four characters will finally return to Marvel Studios, which is also owned by Disney. This will likely bring an end to the current X-Men franchise, allowing the characters to appear with the Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The future of characters like Deadpool and the X-Force, who have been thriving in a R-rated franchise, remains to be seen. Disney is apparently open to allowing Deadpool to remain an adult property, so there's a chance the Ryan Reynolds-led film series could continue as is.

Everything will become much clearer when the deal is finished and Disney is actually allowed to talk about the future of these properties.

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