Doctor Doom movie writer Noah Hawley says there is a sense of “uncertainty” about the project considering the looming Disney-Fox merger. It came as a surprise last year when it was reported Disney was looking to acquire 20th Century Fox. Of course, many Marvel fans wondered what the potential merger would mean for Fox’s ongoing X-Men film series, since the rights to the mutants and Fantastic Four would revert back to Marvel Studios. While those involved in the X-Men series and Marvel Cinematic Universe have downplayed how the merger would affect their respective franchises, there’s no doubt something will happen should the deal go through.

Still, Fox has continued to produce and release X-Men movies while the studio waits for the deal to be finalized. X-Men: Dark Phoenix and New Mutants are expected to release in 2019, plus Channing Tatum’s long-delayed Gambit movie may start filming this summer. Further, while the studio isn’t developing a Fantastic Four film, Fox is planning a Doctor Doom movie written by Noah Hawley, the showrunner of X-Men TV series Legion. Now, while the general mood at Fox has seemed to be business-as-usual, Hawley indicates the Disney-Fox deal could impact his Doctor Doom movie.

In an interview with Vulture, Hawley discussed the status of his Doctor Doom film, which he announced at Comic-Con International in San Diego last summer. In addition to giving an update on the Doctor Doom movie script, Hawley spoke about the corporate obstacle facing the project.

So far, those at Disney - both CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige - have tried to temper panic that the Mouse House will wipe the X-Men movie slate clean and start over. Considering the success of Fox’s Merc with a Mouth movies, Iger has assured fans that Deadpool would stay R-rated under Disney. Further, Feige said the Disney-Fox deal won’t affect MCU movies already in progress, so any changes to the sprawling cinematic universe won’t be seen by moviegoers for a few years yet.

I know there’s also a little uncertainty, given the potential for a Disney merger and the fact that Marvel may regain control of X-Men and Fantastic Four. They may have a plan of their own in a desk drawer. I just don’t know. So, I think there’s sort of a sense of uncertainty.

As it stands, Hawley’s comments indicate he’s simply not sure what Marvel has in store for the X-Men and Fantastic Four should the Disney-Fox deal go through. Essentially, he seems to be as much in the dark as everyone else. That said, Hawley was asked earlier this year about the fate of his Doctor Doom movie if the Disney-Fox deal is finalized, and he said there hadn’t been any discussions yet. It’s not clear whether Hawley has had that conversation yet, but Disney is getting closer to officially acquiring Fox. If the deal goes through, it’s possible Marvel Studios could scrap Hawley’s project.

Ultimately, it depends on what Marvel Studios plans to do with the character rights they acquire from Fox. Feige and others could somehow merge the universes, or Marvel could wipe the slate clean and start over from scratch. What seems most likely, however, is Marvel Studios picking and choosing certain elements to keep and others to reboot entirely. The X-Men will likely be rebooted, while Deadpool - and his burgeoning X-Force - will stick around, possibly remaining in a separate universe.

As far as Doctor Doom, the project has the benefit of not having any ties to Fox’s X-Men universe. So the studio could potentially green light it as a movie that ties loosely into the MCU. However, depending on how Hawley’s Doctor Doom uses the Fantastic Four, if Marvel has different plans, they may tweak it or nix it altogether. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait and see how the Fox merger shakes out before we know anything for sure.

Next: Why Fox’s Doctor Doom Movie Could Actually Be Great

Source: Vulture