It looks like Channing Tatum’s long-gestatingGambitmovie may be taking a very huge, if unexpected, step in the right direction. Reportedly, Fox is now looking to Gore Verbinski, the man behind the first threePirates of the Caribbeanmovies, to direct theX-Menspin-off. No deal is done yet, but The Hollywood Reporter claims that he is “in talks” to helm the project, which has been in development for a couple of years now, and will reportedlystart production in 2018.
Channing Tatum more or less willed theGambitmovie into existence, given his desire to play the card-throwing,Cajun mutanton the big screen. However, the project has hit a few snags over the years. Originally, Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) was supposed to direct the movie, but he walked away in 2015. Then, Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) spent some time developing the movie, with a plan to direct, but his schedule got in the way and he dropped out last year. TheX-Menflick seemed to be dead in the water, but now, withGore Verbinskipossibly taking over, it sounds like we may actually see this thing happen.
Over the past few months, Channing Tatum has started talking aboutGambitagain and has said that the success ofDeadpoolandLoganforced them torethink their approach to Gambit. It will allow them some more creative freedom, but that also meant doing some rewrites and getting it ready to shoot. One might think that might mean making it on a slightly smaller scale to keep the budget low and to help mitigate risk. This news makes it seem like that may not be the case.
Gore Verbinski is a man with very expensive tastes. Even his recent, mid-budget affair,A Cure for Wellness, was pretty pricey for what it was and didn’t exactly do big business at the box office. Then again, thePirates of the Caribbeanmovies rank among the highest-grossing movies ever made, so it’s easy to see the appeal, from Fox’s standpoint.
Currently, no official plot details forGambithave been revealed, but a recent, rumored plot leak claims that the movie will feature anOcean’s 11style heist, with fan-favorite villain Mr. Sinister pulling the strings. There is also a rumor thatDaniel Craig may play Mr. Sinister, but that has since been debunked by several sources. Even if those plot details were true at one point, a lot could change by the time cameras actually start rolling.
Gambitdoesn’t currently have a release date, but if this newTHRreport is any indication, Fox seems to be moving ahead with the movie more actively. The studio does have several released dates for unnamed Marvel Comics movies pegged over the next few years, so it’s possibleGambitalready does have a release date. We just may not know it yet. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more details on the project are made available.
