Back in July, producerSimon Kinbergrevealed that production on theGambit spin-offwas expected to begin in Spring 2017, although a concrete start date was not revealed. But then, just a month later, the project lost directorDoug Liman, and that was the last we heard about it. The X-Men spin-off just keeps getting pushed back for a number of different reasons. Today, we finally have a new, albeit brief, update on the film, with confirmation thatChanning Tatumis still attached to star.
The news came from Buzzfeed reporterJarett Wieselman, who was present at the TCA Winter Tour today when producerLauren Shuler Donnerwas promoting the newX-MenTV seriesLegion. Although there is no direct quote, the reporter revealed onTwitterthatLauren Shuler Donnertold the assembled press members thatChanning Tatumis still attached to star asGambitin this spin-off. While she wouldn’t offer did state that the TV showLegionfeatures characters they have no intention of using in theX-Menmovie universe.
Channing Tatum’s involvement asGambitwas first revealed in 2014, when it was originally announced that the character will be introduced inX-Men: Apocalypsebefore getting his own spin-off movie. HisX-Men: Apocalypseappearance never did happen, but at the time, the studio was aiming for a 2016 release date.Rupert Wyatt(Rise of the Planet of the Apes) signed on to direct, with a script fromJoshua Zetumer(RoboCop), but the director parted ways with the project.Doug Limancame aboard to direct in November 2015, with a spring 2016 production start planned, but that was ultimately scrapped due to script rewrites. With no director attached yet, it isn’t clear if a production start date is being planned, or if 20th Century Fox is seeking a specific release date.
Back in August, producerSimon Kinbergrevealed that theGambitadaptation won’t happen until they can get the script just right. The producer revealed that a movie like this needs “a special and unique tone,” and that is often very difficult to find. He compared the process toDeadpool, which may have seemed like an instant, overnight success, but he reminded fans that the film was in various stages of development for a decade before it hit theaters. With no director and an always-evolving script, it may just take that long to getGambitoff the ground.
20th Century Fox is also developing a few otherX-Men spin-offsas well, withX-Forcein the works along withThe New Mutants. There are also rumors of anotherX-Menmovie in the works with directorBryan Singer, which producerSimon Kinberghas teased in the past will be set in the 1990s. As forGambit, there had previously been rumors thatChanning Tatumwas leaving the project, but that was debunked when he officially signed on in 2015. The actor actively campaigned for this role during interviews and on social media, so even if the film keeps getting delayed,Channing Tatummay still stick with it for the long haul, until all of the pieces finally come into place and production starts. Take a look atJarett Wieselmanhad to say on Twitter aboutLauren Shuler DonneraboutGambit.
20th Century Fox does have a number of Untitled Marvel project release dates lined up for the future, the first of which falls on June 19, 2025. It’s unlikely that Gambit could make this date, and whatever this movie is supposed to be will probably get pushed into 2018. Another untitled Marvel movie is scheduled to hit August 08, 2025, but there is no word on what this may be, either.
