The X-Men are Coming Home!!!

Maybe...very possibly..and on good authority!! It was last reported that the acquisition of FOX assets by Disney might be done as soon as next week, but today, International Business Times have reported the deal is all but DONE and all that is left is to issue the official announcement and outline what the deal includes, plug in happy, excited quotes from Disney and FOX reps and then let the geeky world drown in speculation as to how soon we'll see a Wolverine cameo and when we'll hear the first mention of  MUTANTS on Agents of SHIELD!!

NOTE: Lead pic is just fan art. Don't get too excited!

Anyone who follows Idle Hands on the regular will note we've written (here) on the very real possibility of the FOX wing of the Marvel Universe coming home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe right and proper, providing signs that pointed to this inevitability. Signs like...

- The Inhumans unceremoniously dropping off the movie slate
- The almost obligatory treatment of the Inhumans in their own TV show that seemed set up to fail
- Marvel's re-igniting their X-Men titles in the comic book world
- Top talent attached to the FOX Marvel movies pulling out, leaving only Deadpool and Ryan Reynolds to lead the way into a rated R future

To quote the latest news:
"21st Century Fox Inc., the global film and TV company controlled by the Murdoch family, would prefer to sell some assets to Walt Disney Co. because it's a better strategic fit and presents fewer regulatory hurdles, people familiar with the matter said," Bloomberg reported.

So now fans will be looking at how this will change the current slate of Marvel projects, be they TV, Film or via Disney's new streaming service. Surely, the bulk of the questions will be reserved for the future of Deadpool, which has found success within a decidedly rated R universe. It may not be unheard of for Disney to install new talent to the project while keeping the subject matter, at the very least, PG13, as the powerhouse makes a move toward a more mainstream Hollywood stable, leaving behind their squeaky clean image, if only, just.....slightly. At the end of the day, Disney likes money and Deadpool, continuing on in films largely uncensored, means loads of cash.

Marvel Studios' current lineup of films includes:

Black Panther (Feb 2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (May 2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 2018)
Captain Marvel (March 2019)
Untitled Avengers film (May 2019)
Untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel (July 2019)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2020)

It is HIGHLY unlikely we will see any change in the 2018 schedule, from either Disney or FOX (so, yes, we'll have to sit through another stab at the Dark Pheonix saga...groan), BUT, it wouldn't be super strange if Mutants didn't start rearing their heads on TV and "Where's Waldo'd" into films as easter eggs, or even a super teasy post credits scene. We'll all be watching for mentions of supernatural occurrences in Westchester, NY, references to a Charles Xavier or maybe even someone suspiciously looking like Wolverine looking up to a burning sky as the Avengers battle Thanos. Until it actually happens, we can dream the big dreams!!

Oh yea...and we'll get back The Fantastic Four too. Yay!