Disney is making a massive rebrand to 20th Century Fox
The House of Mouse is culling the fox from its studio names
After buying the studio last year, Disney is initiating a significant rebrand of 20th Century Fox, the group behind the X-Men and Deadpool movies.
Instead of being known as 20th Century Fox, the studio will now be titled 20th Century Studios, while Fox Searchlight Pictures will be changed to simply Searchlight Pictures.
The logos of each brand won’t be significantly altered, meaning you can still sing along to that triumphant 20th Century fanfare before future movies.
Although Disney hasn’t officially clarified the reason for the change, Variety reports the rebrand is a bid to distance itself from previous Fox owner Rupert Murdoch and right-wing Fox News network.
It’s not clear whether Disney also intends to remove the Fox name from TV companies 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios. RadioTimes.com has reached out to Disney for comment.
Disney bought the Fox studios in a $71bn deal last March, a merger meaning Fox superheroes, such as the X-Men, could join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (also owned by Disney) in the future.
Disney is set to further make its mark on the entertainment landscape with the launch of streaming service Disney+ in the UK and other territories this Spring. Although the platform is currently available in the US, Canada and The Netherlands, British viewers can subscribe to the service from March 31st 2020.
As well as a packed library of old films and shows, Disney+ will host a new string of Marvel and Star Wars titles, including a forthcoming untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor.
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.