Disney

Thousands of years from now, alien archaeologists will come to one inescapable conclusion: The Simpsons dictated humanity’s every advance. The latest evidence is none other than today’s giant Disney-Fox merger, which America’s favorite family jokingly predicted in 1998.

After numerous reports, Disney has finally acquired most of 20th Century Fox in a deal that will massively reshape the entertainment industry.

And in today’s least shocking news item, Disney wants a white dude to direct an upcoming live-action remake of a classic animated movie. The studio has reportedly made Rob Marshall their top pick to helm The Little Mermaid, based on their 1989 animated adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale. Marshall, who previously directed Into the Woods and the forthcoming Mary Poppins Returns for the studio, is said to be taking the holidays to mull it over.

The roughly $60 billion deal would change the landscape of pop culture -- and affect some of your favorite franchises and series.

Remember that rumor that Disney was in talks to buy a bunch of film and TV properties from Fox? Apparently the deal is heating up again.

Pixar and Disney Animation head John Lasseter has taken a leave of absence after accusations of sexual misconduct.

Don’t worry, Disney’s new streaming service won’t put us all in debt.

As usual, Disney waited until late afternoon to make a major announcement, but it’s always nice to end the day with some awesome news. Today, it’s the full voice cast ensemble for The Lion King, Jon Favreau’s live-action (-ish) reimagining of the studio’s animated classic — and perhaps the most exciting project on their upcoming (and growing) slate of live-action remakes.

While Disney and Lucasfilm are preparing to unleash Star Wars: The Last Jedi in theaters on December 15, some theater owners aren’t feeling the Force — specifically, the demands Disney has in place for screenings and their cut of the profits. Although most moviegoers in larger markets with bigger theaters won’t have to worry about missing out on the next chapter in the Star Wars saga, fans in smaller cities might get burned.

Disney has hit a creative wall with their “Jack and the Beanstalk” retelling Gigantic, which was scheduled to come out in 2020.

Han Solo’s death is the kind of cinematic moment you never forget. I certainly won’t forget the reaction of the theater I was in when I first saw The Force Awakens, the audible gasps and cries (one very loud one from my mom sitting beside me) when that dirtbag Kylo Ren pretended to give up the Dark Side then killed his pops just like that...

Netflix’s scramble to cut some kind of deal with Disney after the company announced their own Disney-exclusive streaming service last month seems to have come to naught, as CEO Bob Iger announced that Marvel and Star Wars movies would also be among the films appearing exclusively on the new app Disney hopes to launch by 2019. Better get those Moana viewings in fast, folks.

Will Smith shared a selfie revealing the full cast of Disney’s upcoming live-action version of their animated classic.

Disney sent shockwaves through the world of streaming media earlier this week when it announced the company was ending its agreement with Netflix in 2019 in order to start its own competitive streaming movie and TV service. So some kind of “Dizflix” is coming, along with a similar ESPN service for sports due next year...

Fox may have lost American Idol, but it hasn't given up on singing competition reality shows just yet. Just like Lionsgate hasn't given up on more Twilight or Hunger Games movies. These are today's PopBits.

The pop cultural giant announced will pull its movies from Netflix and eventually have a standalone streaming site for ESPN.