The Films We Wish Were on Disney’s Film Slate

When the final hands were shaken and the paperwork was completed on Disney’s eye-watering acquisition of most of 21st Century Fox’s assets for $71.3 billion in cash and stock on March 20, 2019, Disney took control of the biggest back catalog of entertainment in the world.

Fox has, traditionally, been one of the largest producers of movies and TV shows in the world and with their entire catalog now under control of Disney, there can be no disputing which company sits at the very top of the entertainment pile.

Huge acquisitions, like their 2009 purchase of Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion and Lucasfilm for a similar sum in 2012, have meant that virtually every major blockbuster released each year arrives from a Disney-owned studio. With 21st Century Fox now in tow, Disney has access to a huge number of iconic movies and TV shows which are ripe for a revitalization on the big screen.

Imagine our disappointment, then, when Disney’s eight-year 65-strong film slate seemed to make little use of some of Fox’s lesser appreciated titles – despite huge cinematic potential.

Of course, there’s always the potential for Disney to make these films down the line, but eight years is a mighty long time and, given the scale of Disney’s current empire, it’s not impossible that these films might never be made.

But what films are we talking about? Join us as we take a look.

Gambit

Thanks to the deals Marvel struck in the 90s for cinematic rights to some of their major properties, the X-Men family ended up at 20th Century Fox, which has since turned out plenty of films based on the license.

Gambit, a hard-drinking, card-game loving superhero whose love of casinos goes way beyond playing games like poker and blackjack. He’s a mutant with the power to manipulate, create and control pure kinetic energy, a power he uses to whip playing cards with deadly speed and accuracy at his foes. As noted by USA Online Casinos, blackjack typically has a house edge of around 1%; Gambit’s would be infinitely higher.

The character had long been a part of Fox’s plans for the X-Men universe, however, his spin-off film never got made. Hopes were raised again when Channing Tatum became attached to the role in 2013, expressing a strong desire to take it on, saying “Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking guy. He was the most punk rock of all the superheroes.”

The movie got trapped in development hell though, and has since failed to appear on Disney’s slate – potentially signalling its total cancellation.

It’s a huge blow for Gambit fans, who may now never see the Ragin’ Cajun get his time in the sun. Quite simply, we’d love to see Gambit get the big-screen love he deserves.

Mouse Guard

Just a couple of weeks away from entering production when Disney put the shutters down on it, Mouse Guard was due to be Fox’s major play at a huge blockbuster franchise.

This adaptation of Boom! Studio’s comic book series of the same name, Mouse Guard would tell the epic tale of sentient mice and their medieval-style battles, with characters played by huge names like Idris Elba and Andy Serkis.

In an age of superhero movies, the promise of a smaller scale, less apocalyptic blockbuster was an exciting one – especially one that would be an entirely new cinematic property, rather than a spin-off or remake.

Unfortunately, its initial budget of $170 million probably meant it was too risky a proposition for Disney, who likely looked at it as a competitor for its in-production movies during key moviegoing seasons.

Legion

With Fox comes the TV channels FX, FXX and FXM – each of which host some of the best TV properties going. However, whilst we’d love to see an It’s Always Sunny movie project get the full Disney backing, there’s one project which could truly do something special with a feature-length run time – Legion.

Loosely based in the X-Men universe, Legion is about to enter its third – and final – season on FX. Written and often directed by Noah Hawley (Fargo (TV)), it’s an absurdly complex, psychedelic and offbeat superhero drama that brings you firmly into the mind of its schizophrenic central character.

With a limited TV budget, Legion has created some of the most eye-catching and memorable superhero moments in recent memory, and we just can’t help but imagine what it could do on the big screen. Convincing Mr. Hawley to adapt the series for the big screen might be a tough ask, but as a way for Marvel to dip their toe into the X-Men license without the pressure of a major name character, it could be perfect.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Alright, alright, this one is pure wish-fulfilment, but just think how amazing it would be to get Buffy back for a big-screen adventure?

Joss Whedon could do with a break from the superhero world for a while, and where better to rest up than Sunnydale? Disney now owns the rights to the Buffy name and licenses, and with interest in the series enjoying new popularity thanks to its appearance on streaming services, there’s no better time to revitalise it for cinematic audiences. Oh, and for the record, we’re just going to forget about the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie which preceded the show. 

Which Fox titles would you like to see Disney adapt for the big screen? Let us know in the comments below.