The "X-Men" aren't assembling into "The Avengers" anytime soon.
When Disney announced its plans to acquire 21st Century Fox's entertainment business, fans immediately began speculating about the integration of the latter's "X-Men" franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel, of course, has been pumping out blockbusters for Disney. But the comics company had sold the rights for "X-Men" to Fox years ago. So, it seemed impossible for the characters to cross over, even there is literally a comic storyline called "Avengers vs. X-Men."
Now, with the proposed acquisition, the impossible has become possible. But Marvel boss Kevin Feige hit the brakes on crossover talk in an interview with Vulture.
"It would be years away," Feige said. "We've announced everything through 2019, so none of those would be adjusted."
Those movies include "Captain Marvel," a fourth untitled "Avengers" movie, Sony/Marvel's "Spiderman: Homecoming" follow-up," and "Guardians of the Galaxy 3."
Feige also noted that the deal has yet to go through. There are massive regulatory issues to work out in the combination of two huge media conglomerates.
"The truth of the matter as I understand it is the deal has to be figured out," he said. "There's been no communication. We're not thinking about it. We're focusing on everything we've already announced. If and when the deal actually happens, we'll start to think more about it. Until then, we have a lot to do."