After the massive $52 billion Disney-Fox merger was announced in December, fans have been wondering how this will impact theX-Menfranchise moving forward. 20th Century Fox will release the sequelDeadpool 2, a spin-off of theX-Menfranchise which also introduces theX-Force, on May 18, withX-Men: Dark Phoenixpushed from July 24, 2025 to June 25, 2025. If a new report is to be believed,Dark Phoenixwill be the last “proper Fox Marvel movie”, presumably ending the series' continuity. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige reportedly has plans to put theX-Menand other 20th Century Fox Marvel characters likeDeadpoolandThe Fantastic Fourinto theirMarvel Phase 4 lineup.
This new information comes from Comic Genre, which reportedly attended a “speaking engagement with some high-level Fox production crew members,” where it was revealed that those who have worked on theX-Menmovies behind-the-scenes have been told that their services are no longer required, since the franchise isshifting over to Disney. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is said to be, “hoovering up” all of the Fox Marvel characters for Phase 4, but no specifics were revealed, including if the same actors from the Fox Marvel movies will continue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This report also claims that these production members on the 20th Century Fox side have been left with their future in doubt, regarding their time with the company, once theFox-Disney mergeris officially approved, which is slated to happen sometime in mid-2019. This report also claims thatX-Men: Dark Phoenixis currently undergoing reshoots, which involve entire sets that need to be reconstructed after they were already torn down. This isn’t terribly surprising, considering that the studio shifted theDark Phoenixdate into 2019, but this report claims that the studio is not “entirely pleased” with the work of longtime writer-producer Simon Kinberg, who makes his directorial debut withDark Phoenix. This report claims the director didn’t “plan ahead” enough, resulting in the digital effects department having to re-build sets that were destroyed.
What this report doesn’t mention is howThe New Mutantswillfit into Marvel’s plans. WhileThe Dark Phoenixmay very well be the “last proper X-Men movie,” thisX-Menspin-off is set to hit theaters on August 14, 2025, six months afterThe New Mutants. Still, there is no indication if this movie crosses over at all withX-Men: Dark Phoenix. It will also be interesting to see how this merger alters plans for a possibleDeadpool 3sequel, especially since Disney doesn’t make R-rated movies, or the potentialX-Forcemovie that is being set up byDeadpool 2.
This report from Comic Genre has not been confirmed, and they do not identify which, “high-level Fox production crew members” were at this “speaking engagement.” If this report is true, then it seems it will only be a matter of time beforeX-Men,DeadpoolandThe Fantastic Fourwill beintegrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although it remains unclear what will happen with projects in development phases likeX-ForceandGambit.
