It won’t be too much longer before film fans clock eyes on Channing Tatum’s Remy LeBeau.
Truth be told, the former Magic Mike star has been attached to the card-wielding mutant for years – and we do mean years – but it looks as though that unwavering loyalty is about to pay off dividends, as Gambit is within arm’s reach of entering production in earnest.
As reported by Omega Underground, the spinoff, one which is coming by way of Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean), will begin filming in March, when New Orleans will play host to the long-gestating X-Men project for a total of 10 weeks. Perhaps most interesting of all is the alleged budget, as NOLA mentions $155 million. Chalk this up as an early estimate, though, as NOLA appears to be citing an old listing dated for 2015.
Because in only two years, Gambit has changed locations and tapped a new director, all the while recruiting Lizzy Caplan as its female lead. The Masters of Sex actress will presumably play Bella Donna, a role once earmarked for the award-winning Léa Seydoux (Spectre) before Gambit fell on hard times.
But it would seem Fox’s spinoff has put those creative setbacks in the rearview mirror, as a March start date ensures Gambit is well on its way to a theatrical release in early 2019 – February 2019, to be exact, so plan your Valentine’s accordingly.
On a more general note, Gambit and other in-development X-Men projects have been thrust into the spotlight recently following Disney’s historic acquisition of 20th Century Fox. It’s a merger that will likely take 12-24 months to fully consummate, mind you, but there are a number of films (see: X-23, the mooted New Mutants trilogy) that have been called into question.
Gambit, meanwhile, is safe as houses, and it’ll be with us on February 14th, 2019.
