In February, we received some sad news that Gambit, starring Channing Tatum, would not release Oct. 7 of this year. Filming was scheduled to begin this Spring, but according to The Hollywood Reporter , production won’t actually start until the end of 2016.
There are multiple reasons for the release date and filming pushbacks. THR ’s insiders reveal Reid Carolin ( Magic Mike ) is rewriting the script. Meanwhile, Gambit ’s director, Doug Liman, has taken another project called The Wall for Amazon, a psychological thriller that follows a sniper and his spotter. If all goes as planned, Liman will wrap up production by the end of Summer and get back to Gambit’ s pre-production.
Gambit was originally set to be directed by Rupert Wyatt ( Rise of the Planet Apes ), but he was subsequently replaced by Doug Liman ( Edge of Tomorrow ). Lea Seydoux will star alongside Tatum as Bella Donna, according to Deadline . Producer Simon Kinberg recently described Gambit as a “heist movie” and a “sexy thriller” during an interview with Collider. For those unacquainted, Gambit, also known as Remy LeBeau, is a kinetic energy-charging, card-throwing mutant who has a romantic history with Bella Donna.
Fox is hoping to expand the X-Men franchise, kicking off with their biggest movie yet, X-Men: Apocalypse , on May 27. Gambit would have filled the gap between Apocalypse and Wolverine 3 , which is due March 3, 2017. Fox had previously announced an untitled X-Men movie for release on July 13, 2018, but in February set two more release dates: Oct. 6, 2017, and Jan. 12. 2018. It's most likely Gambit will take the Oct. 2017 spot, a year after its original release date. Deadpool 2 is speculated to fill the Jan. 2018 date. Looking to July 2018, New Mutants or X-Force could take that spot.
- X-Men: Apocalypse – May 27, 2016
- Wolverine 3 – March 3, 2017
- Untitled Marvel film – October 6, 2017 (Gambit speculated)
- Untitled Marvel film – January 12, 2018 (Deadpool 2 speculated)
- Untitled X-Men film – July 13, 2018 (New Mutants or X-Force speculated)
As the disappointment of Batman v Superman settles in, rushing Gambit’ s production would be a horrible idea. Hopefully, Channing Tatum will be worth the wait.
