Gambit

Hot off the success of its other X-Men spinoff, Deadpool, Fox was set to begin filming on Gambit this month with Channing Tatum and Lea Seydoux set to star. But now Fox has announced the production on the film has been pushed back while the script undergoes extensive rewrites...

Gambit has had a few…problems. There were the rumors that Channing Tatum was going to walk over budget disputes, then Rupert Wyatt left the film without a director, eventually replaced a couple months later by Edge of Tomorrow’s Doug Liman (reportedly Tatum’s top choice). With an October release date approaching, it seemed a bit crazy that Gambit could be ready in time, but now it appears that the latest X-Men solo spinoff has been given a reprieve as Fox has yanked it from their schedule and set release dates for two additional, unnamed Marvel projects.

For a superhero project with one of the most charismatic performers currently working locked in to star, Gambit has had a hell of a time getting off the ground. The X-Men spinoff film was originally slated to get Rupert Wyatt in the director's chair, but after butting heads with the studio over the creative direction of the film, Wyatt unceremoniously parted ways with producer/star Channing Tatum and the film. In the wake of Wyatt’s departure, Fox has been scrambling to find a worthy replacement, reportedly sitting down for heated chats with Attack the Block’s Joe Cornish, Straight Outta Compton’s F. Gary Gray, and Iron Man 3’s Shane Black.

The other day a rumor surfaced that Channing Tatum is interested in getting Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman for the Gambit solo movie following Rupert Wyatt’s exit last month. And we can now add two more names to the rumored director pile as a new report suggests that Fox is also eyeing Attack the Block director Joe Cornish and Iron Man 3 director Shane Black — all of these choices would be great, but the longer that director’s chair remains vacant, just about any choice will start to look appealing.

The filmmaker with the distinct privilege of being eyed by Channing Tatum to direct the ‘Gambit’ movie happens to be one Doug Liman, most recently at the head of the deservedly beloved Edge of Tomorrow

Following last month’s brief (very brief) confusion over whether Channing Tatum was fully committed to the Gambit solo movie comes news of an actual shakeup behind the scenes. Director Rupert Wyatt has exited the project, leaving the director’s chair vacant and 20th Century Fox in need of a quick replacement if they hope to make their fall 2016 release date.

With the X-Men timeline effectively reset following the events in Days of Future Past, and with Gambit and Deadpool movies on the way, 20th Century Fox’s version of the MCU is now open to more interesting possibilities. Writer and producer Simon Kinberg has previously hinted at crossover possibilities within the mutant cinematic universe, but his latest statements suggest that the idea has moved from hypothetical to legitimate plan.

A few weeks back we learned that a few actresses were on 20th Century Fox’s shortlist to star opposite Channing Tatum in Gambit: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation breakout star Rebecca Ferguson, Mad Max: Fury Road’s Abbey Lee, and Spectre’s Lea Seydoux. Ferguson declined to take the part, leaving just Lee and Seydoux, but it looks like the latter has the part locked down…if she wants it.

ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie / TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, check out new photos from the set of upcoming comic book movies, ponder the idea of Ronda Rousey playing a superhero, and catch up on the latest Spider-Man movie talk.

Last week, when news broke that Channing Tatum might be leaving Gambit, there was a little extra piece of news that you may not have noticed while you were panicking: Tatum was in the midst of testing opposite potential leading ladies, including Spectre star Lea Seydoux. 20th Century Fox has a couple of other interesting names on their lead actress short list, including Rebecca Ferguson, who just kicked all of the ass in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.