X-Men TV Show Comment was Foreshadowing

[Aztec]

The more I think about it, it's pretty clear that Fox executive Dana Walden's Thursday announcement about an X-Men TV series was clear foreshadowing of the Fant4stic disaster to come.

In the press release it says: "We're in negotiations with Marvel...We're hopeful we'll be able to announce something soon."

Original announcement: http://comicbook.com/2015/08/06/x-men-tv-series-confirmed-in-the-works-at-fox/

To me this is pretty clear that the studio was well aware that the Clusterf*** 4 was going to be a massive turkey. This press release was intended for two audiences:
1) The Fans of the Fox-Men: This way they could ideally get excited about something that Fox is doing instead of the impending disaster.
2) Marvel Studios- To me this very clearly states to Marvel "We are ready to play ball with the Fantastic 4."

I have absolutely no doubt that F4 franchise will be returned to Marvel much sooner than expected. Marvel/Disney is very good at preying on weak studios (the Sony/Spider-Man saga is a perfect example) and they are once again negotiating from a position of pure strength. I wouldn't be shocked if there are dueling press releases soon from each studio. Fox's will be singing the praises of their soon to be tv show; and Marvel's will be welcoming home their first family (and all of the amazing pieces that come along with them: Dr. Doom, Kang, Silver Surfer, Galactus, etc.).

Just like I called the Spider-Man announcement before it happened, I'm calling this one too. Mark it in your sigs!

 

[Jason Kane]

God ,I hope you're right.

 

[Chip Chipperson]

Fox is the kind of studio who would hold onto a property for years and do nothing with it rather than give it to someone else who can make money off of it.

I'll have to see it to believe it.

 

[GR8GODZILLAGOD]

That's what I'm guessing is happening.

 

[Aztec]

Fox is the kind of studio who would hold onto a property for years and do nothing with it rather than give it to someone else who can make money off of it.

I'll have to see it to believe it.

Yes Fox is extraordinarily petty. In fact from News to television to movies they are arguably the worst media organization in human history...but I digress...

However they WANT SOMETHING. Why would an executive announce to the media that they WANT to make a television show...when they don't have permission to make it yet? Why announce the need for negotiations on the day before the F***tastic Farce? Is their desire to make a tv show really "newsworthy"? OR is it just a public olive branch to Marvel to let them know that they are now willing to make a deal? I say YES.

If you recall this whole Marvel/Disney vs. Fox blood feud started when Fox REJECTED the deal where Marvel offered them another year to make a Daredevil film (which they were interested in doing at the time) in exchange for the use of Silver Surfer and Galactus in future MCU films (presumably Infinity War and/or GotG). The two sides have hated each other ever since. Marvel/Disney being the main hater in the rivalry.

I see this as Fox's attempt to dig themselves out of this unprecedented disaster and save some face. Their cinematic universe will just be the X-Men and all of the individual mutant characters from there: Deadpool, Wolverine, Gambit, etc. That's plenty of characters to work with and their track record there (5 for 7) hasn't been as abysmal as their other Marvel attempts namely Daredevil and Fantastic Four.

Also Fox has truly nothing to gain by keeping the franchise at this point. They certainly won't be making any sequels to this POS and a crossover with the X-Men won't happen because the Foxtastic 4 is toxic and they wouldn't want to contaminate their flagship franchise. Finally, a reboot is absolutely out of the questions seeing as they already tried 4 times, with three different casts, to bring these characters to the screen and they've all been varying levels of miserable.

So if they do want a tv series from Marvel, and that quote seems to indicate this, then they are going to have to give something up. It's extraordinarily obvious what that something is going to be. In fact, I'd say its FANTASTICALLY obvious...

 

[DareDemon]

I think this is accurate. With Spider-Man I was surprised, but I think it's obvious for this. I reeeally don't want to get my hopes up though, so I will assume another FF movie in 7 years.

 

[VictorDomashev]

MARVEL should play hard ball with Fox. In return with how Fox played hard ball in the past. MARVEL now has something Fox want. Make Fox sweat MARVEL

 

[Boom]

Considering the fact that we don't know how receptive audiences will be towards certain Marvel properties once recasting takes place (notably Iron Man and Captain America), re-acquiring the Fantastic Four would be a huge safety net.

Imagine a Phase Four line-up of:

Fantastic Four
Inhumans
Namor
Silver Surfer
Spider-Man

 

[Aztec]

Considering the fact that we don't know how receptive audiences will be towards certain Marvel properties once recasting takes place (notably Iron Man and Captain America), re-acquiring the Fantastic Four would be a huge safety net.

Imagine a Phase Four line-up of:

Fantastic Four
Inhumans
Namor
Silver Surfer
Spider-Man

Namor isn't happening because Universal still has the distribution rights. It's the same reason we haven't seen a solo Hulk movie since TIH. They can use Namor in other characters films, but not in a solo movie without Universal leaching off of them.

But yes, F4 would be huge for Marvel...but not because of the team. It would be huge for them because after Thanos there is a serious shortage of main event villains in the current MCU. The F4 property that Fox owns currently has A-List villains: Dr. Doom, Galactus, and Kang. All three of which are capable of being the big bad for an entire phase or series of phases.

 

[Krystal]

I would probably skip comic movie called inhumane.
Sounds too dark.

But I love that list!

Universal doesn't have Namor distribution rights forever. It expires at some point.
Nextly that list should say SM 2.
Also since the reboot SM is 2017--if its a success they wont wait that long for a sequel.
It would probably take the unannounced Xmas 2019
slot.

 

[Duran Man]

I really hope so. I need to see a good FF movie in my lifetime and I wouldn't mind an X-Men television show (depending on the characters involved and all that).

 

[Web-Head]

Considering the fact that we don't know how receptive audiences will be towards certain Marvel properties once recasting takes place (notably Iron Man and Captain America), re-acquiring the Fantastic Four would be a huge safety net.

Imagine a Phase Four line-up of:

Fantastic Four
Inhumans
Namor
Silver Surfer
Spider-Man

I could deal without Inhumans but

 

[Jason Kane]

Namor isn't happening because Universal still has the distribution rights. It's the same reason we haven't seen a solo Hulk movie since TIH. They can use Namor in other characters films, but not in a solo movie without Universal leaching off of them.

But yes, F4 would be huge for Marvel...but not because of the team. It would be huge for them because after Thanos there is a serious shortage of main event villains in the current MCU. The F4 property that Fox owns currently has A-List villains: Dr. Doom, Galactus, and Kang. All three of which are capable of being the big bad for an entire phase or series of phases.

Quick question: How long has Universal have the Namor distribution rights? Shouldn't be as iron clad considering how they had Human Torch* rights for a brief period way before Arad came into the picture

*Though remains undetermined if the Torch they had was either Johnny or Jim (Hammond) or hybrid the two together

 

[Spiderine]

Hulk and Namor rights should expire at some point. But Marvel is doing just fine the way they are using Hulk.

 

[Angryfantasyfan]

Inhumans is the last film of phase 3.

 

[starscream22]

MARVEL should play hard ball with Fox. In return with how Fox played hard ball in the past. MARVEL now has something Fox want. Make Fox sweat MARVEL

Yeah, getting a dead on arrival franchise you won't be able to really use for years to come in exchange for X-men T.V. rights that could hit the ground running is a lopsided deal.

Marvel should demand more than just F4 rights or just offer them cash no X-men benefits! It's not like Marvel doesn't eventually want X-men back as well so why give them more of a choke hold on one franchise after watching Fox destroy the one they'd offer to give back?

 

[metaphysician]

Something to consider: yes, execs at Fox might be motivated to spitefully hold only rights. However, other execs might be motivated to spitefully ruin the careers of other, rival, execs at Fox. I suspect the latter motive will prove more important in the wake of such a flop.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

Back when this rumor popped up in early July:

http://www.cosmicbooknews.com/content/avengers-x-men-movie-rumored-2020-marvel-fox

I speculated that they might be discussing various scenarios, but I doubted anything would be finalized until after FF.

But I thought it was very possible that "Option X" was being considered if FF was a success, and "Option Y" was being considered if FF didn't do well.

And when this recent comment popped up just as FF was getting terrible reviews and box-office projections were diving, I assumed: "Okay, I guess "Option Y" included Marvel getting FF back and Fox getting the X-Men TV rights.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if a draft of the agreement was in the hands of lawyers now being prepared for the final sign-off.

When the dust settles (and it could be quite a while until we hear anything official), I suspect FF will be back with Marvel, Fox will have X-Men TV rights and there may be a possibility for future films that will cross universes and pave the way for X-Men characters in Marvel Films and Marvel characters in Fox films while maintaining the worlds as two different Earths.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

Yeah, getting a dead on arrival franchise you won't be able to really use for years to come in exchange for X-men T.V. rights that could hit the ground running is a lopsided deal.

Marvel should demand more than just F4 rights or just offer them cash no X-men benefits! It's not like Marvel doesn't eventually want X-men back as well so why give them more of a choke hold on one franchise after watching Fox destroy the one they'd offer to give back?

I would assume the X-Men TV rights would include a percentage going to Marvel. So Fox does all the work and Marvel collects the money. Free money is never a bad thing.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

If Marvel grants Fox a license to create an X-Men TV show it should include clauses for schedule coordination and a more favorable profit sharing than what they got fleeced for back in the day and most of all NO FREAKING PERPETUITY RENEWALS. It should be for a fixed period like 5 years or something - after which they must renegotiate.

That combined with a buyout of Fox's FF license for some sum. Marvel would be wise to strike while the iron is hot and get the FF the hell away from Fox before they damage the property even further. Never underestimate those cretins. Even if Marvel does nothing with the FF for 10 years it's better than leaving it at Fox.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

I think part of the reason many people have a hard time believing a deal will ever happen is they think people at both Fox and Marvel are as extreme ideological hard-liners as many of the people around here.

But ideological differences can quickly be overcome when checks with lots of zeros start going back and forth.

Didn't Fox just make a film that featured the line: "We're stronger together than we are apart"?

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

I think part of the reason many people have a hard time believing a deal will ever happen is they think people at both Fox and Marvel are as extreme ideological hard-liners as many of the people around here.

But ideological differences can quickly be overcome when checks with lots of zeros start going back and forth.

Didn't Fox just make a film that featured the line: "We're stronger together than we are apart?"

True. I hope you're right.

 

[Zarex]

If Marvel grants Fox a license to create an X-Men TV show it should include clauses for schedule coordination and a more favorable profit sharing than what they got fleeced for back in the day and most of all NO FREAKING PERPETUITY RENEWALS. It should be for a fixed period like 5 years or something - after which they must renegotiate.

That combined with a buyout of Fox's FF license for some sum. Marvel would be wise to strike while the iron is hot and get the FF the hell away from Fox before they damage the property even further. Never underestimate those cretins. Even if Marvel does nothing with the FF for 10 years it's better than leaving it at Fox.

The biggest negotiating tool at Marvel's disposal is time. Marvel has it, FOX doesn't. FOX is already paying salaries for their proposed X-Men spinoff, so that's even more money down the tubes if they don't come to an agreement with Marvel. And if they don't meet the proposed terms, Marvel has the benefit of kicking the can down the road and taking up negotiations again in 2016.

My guess is that the agreement will fall somewhere between approval for one TV show with a waived licensing fee, approval for multiple shows with a mid range (5% of revenues) fee or unlimited TV rights with 10% of revenues going to Marvel. With the return being the early release of the live action rights to the FF character family.

 

[FVD]

I reckon along with F4 and everything revolving around it, I wouldn't mind if Wolverine got the chance to enter the MCU much like how Universal has those distribution rights to Hulk and Namor. We don't really need the rest of the X-Men universe, only Logan. If Fox and Marvel can work a deal like they did with Pietro and Wanda, it would be massive but dreams are for free. Heck, I remember when Hugh Jackman talked about wanting to appear in the Avengers. Never say never I suppose.

 

[SoaringSupes]

An MCU Fantastic Four film would most definitely be closer to the original comics. I hope they do get the rights back ASAP. While I didn't HATE Fant4stic as much as other people did, the idea of seeing The F4, Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus in the MCU is just so exciting!