Fox Insiders: No Galactus Talks With Marvel

Reports that Fox and Marvel Studios are going to do some horse-trading with its Fantastic Four franchise to keep Daredevil in the fold were being strenuously denied by sources I’ve talked to. Deadline revealed during Comic-Con last month that Fox was facing a ticking clock over Daredevil rights, which will revert to Marvel’s new owners at Disney if the reboot doesn’t go into production soon. Those hopes dimmed when David Slade stepped out as director. The new report had Disney willing to extend the rights, but only if Fox lends it the right to use in its own films the villain Galactus, a major baddie from both the Fox-controlled Fantastic Four and The Silver Surfer. It doesn’t make sense. WithChronicle helmer Josh Trank aboard to direct, Fantastic Four is a big priority and the studio would be crazy to give away a cornerstone villain it could use now or down the line. Especially when the studio is very lukewarm about rebootingDaredevil, which focuses on blind lawyer Matt Murdock and his emergence as a crime fighter powered by heightened sensory perception. While Joe Carnahan has come to the studio with a take, it sounds like Fox is ready to let it revert to Disney-owned Marvel, unless Disney is interested in co-financing. That is what the current talks are really about.

Article by MIKE FLEMING