Since helming Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt has parted ways with a number of studios over apparent creative differences. That includes Fox’a Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Equalizer at Sony, but despite that, it still came as a surprise when it was revealed that he would no longer be taking the helm of X-Men spinoff, Gambit.
Predictably, it seems the split ultimately came down to creative differences (and not the scheduling issues mentioned when it was revealed that he wouldn’t be directing).
While Fox were confident that Wyatt would deliver when it came to making a good Gambit movie – no easy task for any filmmaker, in all honesty, given what a random choice for his own movie the Cajun mutant is – it sounds like he simply began losing interest in the project when it became clear that he wasn’t going to have as much creative freedom as he wanted.
[zergpaid]After initially refusing to direct and ultimately being persuaded by the studio, it sounds like Wyatt got pretty far into the development process before leaving. Comments from his agent Brian Swardstrom shed more light on the situation:
“It’s not necessarily acrimonious. The studios, with these big movies, have very specific visions of what they want. They don’t necessarily want an auteur who’s going to try to reinvent the franchise. Of course the studios would love it if a director did what they want, when they want, but it doesn’t always work out. Many have ended up in director’s jail when they didn’t walk away, and perhaps they should have.”
It ultimately sounds like leaving was probably best for Wyatt, but not necessarily for Gambit. Fox butting heads with Josh Trank is what turned Fantastic Four into a complete mess, and while you can appreciate that they want to be cautious with a big budget movie like this, Wyatt proved his mettle with Rise and could have no doubt delivered something really special with Gambit.
It remains to be seen who’s hired as his replacement, but do you wish that Wyatt was still at the helm of Gambit? Let us know your thoughts below.
