There appears to be more to Disney buying out 20th Century Fox film and TV divisions than just expanding on some properties. On the surface, it would make the studio larger while also limiting where filmmakers could make pitches. On the other hand it would allow Disney to have access to more Marvel titles and the original Star Wars films. The move would also allow Fox to put its focus on news and sports.

While that may have been the early details on the matter, there is word that Disney is making a move to buy a competition studio so that they can beat Netflix. More on the story below.

As some of you may recall, Disney decided to let their deal with Netflix expire earlier this year, meaning that any Disney property (even Marvel and Star Wars) seen on Netflix now would no longer be there by the end of 2018. But this appeared to be a deliberate move on Disney’s part, as the entertainment giant announced plans to launch their own streaming service. Of course, launching another steaming service comes with its own set of problems – adding another service to that bill being one of them – but that was only the first step in Disney’s attempt to compete with the streaming giant. And there is another problem that comes with it that concerns the deal between Netflix and Marvel.

While it’s more than obvious that future Marvel shows would appear on Disney’s streaming site, the Wall Street Journal says the future of shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher remain entirely up in the air. One would think that Disney would work out a deal that would allow these shows to come back to the Disney fold. Seeing how these shows are some of the most popular in Netflix’s lineup, it would make sense for Disney to at least try take it all back.

This also falls on the heels of Netflix announcing a deal to acquire Mark Millar’s Millarworld. That, and Netflix plans on spending up to $8 billion producing their own material.

So a lot of this may be just some boardroom talk along with some wheeling and dealing, but it’s pretty clear that Disney wants to come out on top when the smoke clears. We’ll just have to see if that happens when they launch their streaming service in 2019.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]