We’re nearing the finish line with this months-long story, ladies and gents. Deadline is reporting that Disney and Fox shareholders have voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of Disney’s acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox’s assets, which was a story that’s been circulating since last year. Reportedly, 99% of shareholders approved this acquisition, with Fox saying their own final tally would be revealed later — though they had approved it as well.

So, what happens now? Should we all start ironing on our “The X-Men and Fantastic 4 Return Home” shirts just yet? Not quite. Yes, it sounds like this is going to happen, and yes, the Department of Justice has approved this, but the $71.3 billion deal still has some regulatory hoops to jump through. When all said and done, both companies predict this whole thing to be finalized in early 2019. That’s right, still months away.

It’s with that in mind that I’d like to bring up any rumors surrounding any directives from Disney to Fox. I won’t point fingers to any rumor specifically, but in the past months, there’ve been rumors where Disney supposedly gave directives to Fox in regards to their Marvel franchises. Until this deal is actually finalized, I’m not sure this could actually legally be done.

Come 2019, however, all bets are off. You can dust off your Hulk vs. Wolverine fanfic and shoot it over into the web in hopes that Marvel Studios actually adapts it into a movie. This merger is bound to have quite the impact on the industry, and I only hope it ends up for the better.

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SOURCE: Deadline