Ever since Disney announced its $4 billion dollar deal to acquire Marvel, industry observers have been skeptical that the company could fully utilize Marvel’s characters given that the film rights for some of their top franchises — like “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” — are tied down to other studios. However, Disney president and CEO Bob Iger recently indicated that the company is content (for the time being) focusing on the licensing aspect for franchises out of their direct control.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, during an appearance at the UBS Global Media & Communications Conference, Iger said it would be “just fine” if the film rights for “Spider-Man” stay with Sony since Disney would still handle the licensing in addition to their access to the majority of Marvel’s character library.
Iger noted that some of the lesser known characters in Marvel’s library could lead to “potential surprises” and new franchises — similar to the success “Iron Man” has enjoyed under the guidance of director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.
Iger also indicated that Disney can essentially test drive Marvel’s characters through Web content or potential TV series on Disney XD to gauge audience appeal before committing to making a feature film.
Iger added that Disney wants to "put a spotlight on the name Marvel that is much brighter than today."
Disney’s acquisition of Marvel is expected to be finalized before the end of year.
How many films do you think can be made out of Marvel’s character library? Will Marvel have to expand beyond the superhero genre to compete with the broader character library of DC/Vertigo? Cast your shields our way and let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section or on Twitter!