After nearly 18 months of reports about Disney purchasing 21st Century Fox, the deal officially closed earlier this week, with Disney now making a number of adjustments to their newly acquired branches. A majority of fans have primarily been focused on what this business deal would mean for iconic properties, like the possible inclusion of the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and have overlooked various drawbacks of the merger. One of the first major casualties is the Fox 2000 label getting scrapped, which had been run by Elizabeth Gabler, according to Deadline. It is unclear what the company has in mind for the executive’s future.
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Gabler has delivered audiences films like Hidden Figures, The Fault In Our Stars, Marley & Me, Love, Simon, and The Hate U Give. Their final release will be the Joe Wright film Woman in the Window, starring Amy Adams and Gary Oldman.
This is just the latest major layoff, following up on 20th Century Fox film president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson learning that he wouldn’t be joining Disney and was given a 60-day notice, per The Hollywood Reporter. As news of the merger was announced, Disney attempted to focus on the positive changes for the company.
“We’ve spent the last year exploring the new opportunities and synergies generated by bringing our two legendary companies together,” Disney CEO Bob Iger shared in a statement. “Leaders across both organizations have worked closely together to understand how to best unlock this potential and unleash innovation and creativity to generate long-term growth. We’re confident in our integration strategy and in our ability to execute it effectively; andwe’re inspired and energized by the new possibilities.”
“Our integration process will be an evolution, with some businesses impacted more than others. We’ve made many critical decisions already, but some areas still require further evaluation,” Iger wrote.
Sadly, these are likely only the beginnings of layoffs, with Variety claiming that Disney could be laying off 4,000 employees.
“There are rumors that some employees will be asked to stay on for a transitional period while others will be given severance packages almost immediately. Employees who are staying on expect to be told who they will report to by Thursday,” the outlet confirmed.
Stay tuned for details on the future of the merger.
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