What other movie for that November release date, Willie?
November '61... the issue #1...
They made a big deal over 10 years of the Studios... could fanboys like our Fiege ever dream of missing it, if the rights were back?
Just as Inhumans was a place-holder for our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man coming home, my money says the Eternals is the same for the FF. I feel that they will be working a story that can easily be turned to a FF tale, with the main tale of the Eternals pushed back, but kept to film, later. I could see it, and I'm sure that would be doable. Most say that Eternals would be the November 21 movie... and that merely adds fuel to my supposition. A prime, hallowed date to fanboys, us older ones, who still set store by certain dates in history. What better Jubilee, than the FF coming officially home on their 60th birthday, as far as when they were released.
The rest is tenuous, little vapors, like "They are coming home" things said in interviews, but hedged by the deal.
I have wondered, since the first, Willie, if that whole meeting of Iger and Murdoch was to close the FF reversion deal, and led to more when Iger dropped some hint that they (House of Mouse) would be interested in buying more. We know Murdoch hated what FFINO did to his bottom-line that year, and was very open about its impact then and since. If the whole mess was going to Disney, I think Murdoch might have asked to hold off admitting a transfer of the Four, or said it was a all or nothing deal, to get rid of what he no longer wanted, and get a bit of the Disney wealth-generation.