After numerous setbacks, including the loss of two separate directors, Gambit is getting a do-over. Speaking to Hey U Guys, star Channing Tatum revealed that, after countless delays, the movie is essentially starting over from scratch. According to Tatum, the success of fellow X-Men spin-off films Logan and Deadpool has opened doors for Gambit.
“We lit a fuse on the first one and just blew it completely out of the water. I think we got lucky – we got hit with some setbacks and it was all for a good reason. We were trying to do something completely different. We were trying to do something that this genre of movie hasn’t seen before. We kept running into the same problems, and then Deadpool and Logan came through and kicked the doors down,” Tatum revealed. “Now we’re really getting to do some of the things we’ve always wanted to do with the script – we’ve just sort of started over.”
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The Gambit solo film was officially announced back in January of 2015, after being rumored since October of the prior year, with the film slated to be released in 2016. The project was originally helmed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt, who ended up leaving the project due to scheduling conflicts. Wyatt was later replaced by Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman. Earlier this year, Liman also left the project, revealing that he just couldn’t “connect” with the script. Through all of this, Tatum has remained optimistic about the project, continuing to state that it is very much still happening despite a lack of official movement on the film.
While the journey to bring Gambit to the big screen has been a long one — though, admittedly, nowhere near as long as with Deadpool — it appears that Tatum and company are eager to produce the best Gambit movie they can, even if that means taking their time.
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With the script getting a redo and production still a ways off, it’s unknown whether Lea Seydoux, who joined the film back in 2015, will stay onboard the project alongside Tatum.
Created by Chris Claremont, Mike Collins and Jim Lee, Gambit first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual #1990 as a cameo, going to make his first full appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266 in 1990. An orphan, Gambit was stolen as an infant by the New Orleans Thieves Guild because of his black and red eyes. During his time in the guild, Gambit became a master thief. He eventually came to the aid of Storm and was subsequently admitted into the X-Men.
There is currently no planned release date for Gambit.
(via ScreenRant)