Simpsons showrunner Al Jean celebrated the conclusion of Disney's purchase of Fox's film and TV assets with an image of Homer strangling Mickey Mouse. After over a year of ups and downs, and failed challenges from fellow media giant Comcast, Disney's buyout of Fox's movie and TV studios and franchises is finally complete, as of March 20. It feels appropriate that such an enormous deal will finalize on the first day of spring, as like the season, Disney's Fox acquisition represents the start of a time of immense change for the entertainment industry.
By buying Fox, Disney now owns an even more massive share of the movie marketplace, as if owning Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm wasn't enough. Disney is now the custodian of some of the most popular franchises in film and TV history, including Deadpool, the X-Men and Fantastic Four - set to head to Marvel Studios' welcoming arms - Alien, Die Hard, Avatar, Home Alone, The X-Files, Family Guy, and of course, The Simpsons.
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While it's impossible to try and predict all the long-term ramifications that the Disney/Fox deal will have on Hollywood, it does at least appear that The Simpsons won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Just last month, Fox renewed its flagship comedy for seasons 31 and 32, an order which will take the venerable series over the 700 episode mark. With the massive pact now closed, Simpsons showrunner Al Jean saw fit to celebrate the occasion by biting the hand that'll now feed him, tweeting out an image of Homer Simpson strangling Mickey Mouse. Check it out below.
The above kind of humor targeted at their own boss is nothing new for The Simpsons, as the show has repeatedly taken the opportunity over the years to take potshots at Fox, especially once Fox News rose to prominence as basically the official network of the Republican party. Clearly, those involved with The Simpsons have no plans to spare Disney from their amusing wrath, although to be fair, it's not like the show hasn't slammed Disney many times already in its three decades on the air. That was just before Disney could conceivably cancel them.
Knowing The Simpsons, it wouldn't be surprising to see either a couch or blackboard gag referencing 20th Century Fox TV's new corporate ownership in this fall's season 31 premiere, or maybe even before the end of season 30, if the writers thought far enough ahead. At the very least, the show should crack some type of meta joke highlighting the fact that The Simpsons itself predicted Disney buying Fox decades ago. As usual, Simpsons already did it.
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The Simpsons season 30 airs Sundays on FOX.
Source: Al Jean/Twitter