Another Round of Layoffs Hit Disney and 20th Century Fox Film Divisions (EXCLUSIVE)

By Matt Donnelly

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Another round of layoffs are going down for employees merged in Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, individuals with knowledge of the company told Variety.

The Wednesday reduction is the smallest round the studio has enacted since formally acquiring the film and TV assets of 20th Century in March, with a few dozen employees being dismissed across several divisions in both film groups, one of the insiders said.

A Disney spokesperson had no immediate comment. Pink slips are expected to be handed out throughout the day.

The human cost of the merger has been a prominent talking point in the $71.3 billion transaction, which solidified Disney as a content and distribution monolith. Previous layoffs came in May (also in the film group) and in March after the sale closed.

The studio has a ton of content to roll out theatrically, thanks to the combined film slates. By the end of 2019, Disney will have taken 15 titles to theaters from content engines like Marvel and Lucasfilm, including the juggernaut “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel” and this December’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Their live action reboots continue to generate cash, like Guy Ritchie and Will Smith’s “Aladdin” and the forthcoming expected roar of “The Lion King” with Beyonce and Donald Glover in July. In 2020, they are expected to release almost 20 movies. Films that came gift-wrapped in the Fox purchase include Brad Pitt’s space drama “Ad Astra” and the Amy Adams thriller “The Woman in the Window.”