The Disney purchase of Fox seemed to take a break from the headlines over the holidays. Most of the initial shock and panic wore off and the waiting period began as Congress and everybody else tries to decide how this is going to work. Now that we’re in the new year, the thoughts can return back to the mega-deal for some of the stories outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One of the biggest will be the prestige shows that have come from Fox Television, particularly those by Ryan Murphy. As he told the Television Critics Association on Thursday, Murphy has seen most of his success come from Fox. He had surprise success with Nip/Tuck, the super success of Glee and American Horror Story, and some critical acclaim with American Crime Story and Feud all at Fox over the years. As he says, “I thought I would literally be buried on the Fox lot” and now it looks like Disney could bring some major changes, leaving Murphy questioning the future according to Variety:
“I said point blank the stuff I do is not Disney and I’m not interested in that and I’m concerned about that. ‘Am I going to have put Mickey Mouse in “American Horror Story?”‘ [Iger] said no and the reason Disney is buying Fox is that they believed in the assets and the executives and the creators.”
Everybody likely hopes that Disney does mess the portions of Fox that actually work and are successful. That’s not a guarantee, however, and it could mean that folks like Murphy head elsewhere. Vulture points out that his One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest prequel is heading to Netflix already and could end up being the home for his future series, similar to their exclusive deal with Shonda Rimes.
Murphy hasn’t made any firm decisions yet according to Variety and is at least willing to give it a chance before packing up his murder clown car:
“I’m interested to see what the company is going to look like before I make any decisions,” he said. “I’ve decided to wait and sit back and talk to my friends who are my bosses and see what’s happening to them, and make a decision once we see what’s happening.”
You’d have to think it is doubtful he’d actually end up making the jump unless the worst possible scenario played out. That said, if Mickey Mouse does show up in American Horror Story, I would still tune in. Messed up Disneyworld would be fun, in that Tobe Hooper way.
