Sony Pictures Entertainment is reportedly interested in acquiring some of 21st Century Fox's key assets. Though not much has developed from the reports of conversations between Disney and Fox, Sony is the latest studio to emerge as an interested party concerning the purchase of Fox's film and television divisions.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Fox was in talks to sell parts of its company. One of the biggest ramifications of such a deal would be that the rights of the X-Men and Fantastic Four would belong to Disney, making it possible for Disney to finally utilize some of Marvel's most important characters currently missing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Later, it was reported that the talks fell through between Fox and Disney. However, some believe the Disney and Fox deal could still happen.
Related: Disney’s Fox Talks Are Part of Plan to Compete With Netflix
Variety and THR are both reporting that Sony is looking into purchasing assets from 21st Century Fox - including the film division, 20th Century Fox. According to both publications, Sony has reached out to Fox to see which assets the company is interested in selling. A source inside Sony told THR that the company wants the same assets Disney wants, though this could change. Variety reports that the discussions are in the "very preliminary stages." Verizon and Comcast have expressed an interest in Fox as well.
None of this means definitively that Fox will sell their film and television divisions to any company. However, the biggest takeaway from the news is that Fox is at least interested in selling, which means that there is a potential for something to come from these conversations. THR reports that Fox intends to keep both Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network, as the Murdochs, who control the company, have a strong interest in putting focus on news, sports, and global expansion.
If Sony does move forward in its interest in purchasing 20th Century Fox, the rights of X-Men and the Fantastic Four may not be safe after all, leading fans to wonder how this would impact the characters and their movies. Would we see Sony's Spider-Man universe grow to include both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men? Would Disney be able to reach a deal with Sony over the X-Men, just as they did to allow the inclusion of Spider-Man in the MCU? Fans will have to wait see if anything concrete comes from the discussions between Sony and Fox.