For those of you not in the know, as of the 20th March 2019, The Walt Disney Company has acquired 21st Century Fox and most of its assets (most being all but its news and sports branches).
And while one all-consuming corporation gaining an even greater strangle hold on entertainment as a whole, and potentially turning pop culture as we know it into one big, grey, inoffensive, child-friendly, homogeneous mass with mouse ears, that an exclusive group of business elite can dictate to us as they see fit, sure sounds like a worrying development... but think of how many more MARVEL movies we're going to get! Look, that's a cynical way of looking at what is a multi-faceted issue of enormous complexity. We should be apprehensive about this sort of thing so it doesn't get out of control, but, at the same time, wanton conspiracy theorising contributes less than nothing to the debate, as it not only doesn't help, but actually serves to undermine genuine concerns. I prefer to look at the positives. Everything that was owned by Fox that either started good and went bad (X-Men, The Simpsons, etc.) or was just bad from the beginning (Fantastic Four and that show you never liked because I can't think of another example) could go through a shake up, and get another chance at being good. Yeah, things you like could change too, and not necessarily for the better, but we live in the era of instant feedback. If you consume a piece of entertainment you don't enjoy, you can let the world know in a second, and I implore you to make use of that ability. A lot of people on the internet feel that Marvel and Star Wars movies have been playing it too safe, not taking any risks, and making the creatives that are supposedly brought on to helm the projects, take a backseat to producers, trying to follow the money.
If you feel that way, don't whine about this deal, tell them! If you think they're going to ruin Deadpool by making him PG-13, tweet about it. If you're worried they'll never make another movie as refreshing or original as Logan, start a Facebook group, or a Subreddit, or whatever else you can think of to put your views out there and tell them what you want. I don't see this merger as a stifling of creative expression like some people do, if for no other reason than there's too much money at stake. The taboo and the out-there have always found a place in society, we relish that which we know we shouldn't. I'm not saying you're going to see the Disney logo flash up on screen and then smash cut to hardcore gore porn, but they'll just do what all companies do in this situation: make a new division. Marvel Comics is good example of this, and I think their film side should follow suit. When demand rose for darker and more explicit stories, they launched an imprint called Marvel Knights. This was basically the R-rating, red band, mature content warning section of their publications, and it let characters like The Punisher and Jessica Jones come into their element. So there you have it, my two pence on the matter. If you like something, say something. If you don't like something, also say something. If there's one thing you can trust, it's that people in business will try to make money, and all we have to do, as fans, is convince them that there is money to be made in giving us what we want.
And if that doesn't work, we lowly peasants can always revolt against our corporate masters.
If you found this in any way reassuring, please consider following me on Twitter @Mooscittles, and I’ll make all your problems go away. If however, one of those problems is not having enough reviews to read, you should probably consider following @superinkarts as well.
Written by Kyle J.
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