Fans haven not heard a lot about Disney's Fox acquisition in recent months, but 21st Century Fox President Peter Rice has finally given an update, in the form of a loose deadline, for when the acquisition will finally take hold.

According to Deadline, Rice told Fox Network Group staff that the merger will likely be completed by the end of summer 2019. While 21st Century Fox will be absorbed into Disney, the other Fox branches, such as the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News Channel, sports networks FS1 and FS2 and Fox stations, will become a new company, nicknamed "New Fox" by Rupert Murdoch. Rice said the new company will probably just be called "Fox."

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What was not discussed is what the merger will mean for Fox and Disney films going forward. Marvel fans have already speculated how former Fox properties like X-Men and Fantastic Four might finally come back under Marvel jurisdiction, free to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But we will not truly know the ramifications of this deal until the summer of next year.

It is also not clear how Disney properties might benefit. Fox Broadcasting receives 70 percent of its programming from 20th Television. Could this mean that some Disney properties will wind up as fodder for Fox television shows? Such answers will begin to materialize once the deal has gone into full effect.