Too often we hear of film projects falling apart when a director/star walks away or, in the more common scenario, a studio pulls the plug altogether. From Fantastic Four 2 to Sony’s fabled Sinister Six crossover, you don’t have to search too far to locate a big-name project that failed to get off the ground. Thankfully, Gambit isn’t one of them.
Yes, the X-Men spinoff has encountered one setback after another since it was first announced, but despite all those frustrating false starts, Channing Tatum remains attached to headline as the ice-cool Remy LeBeau. That’s the real name of the titular hero, a card-playing Cajun who hails from New Orleans. Originally portrayed by Taylor Kitsch in the widely derided X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the torch has since been passed over to Tatum, whose long-time affinity for the character stretches all the way back to childhood.
To date, Fox has had a tough time locking down a director, as many have come and gone, but tonight, Deadline is reporting that the studio may have found their man. That’s because they’re apparently in talks with Gore Verbinski to helm. If the name sounds familiar, it should, as the filmmaker is responsible for The Lone Ranger,  A Cure for Wellness, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Ring, among others. So, a bit of a mixed resume then, but he’s a capable director who can surely get the job done here.
As was previously reported, 20th Century Fox recently ordered the project back to the drawing board following the back-to-back success of Deadpool and Logan. That doesn’t necessarily mean the studio will slap an R rating onto the Remy LeBeau origin pic, simply that everyone involved has been imbued with a renewed sense of confidence ahead of their long-gestating standalone film.
While Gambit may be trucking along in pre-production at a glacial pace, it looks like it’s finally taken a big step forward today. And though we are eager to see it come together, there’s certainly no rush, as the wider X-Men universe couldn’t be healthier at the moment. As things stand, Fox has mapped out plans for three high-profile tentpoles in 2018 – namely New Mutants, Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix – while also staking out release dates for six mystery Marvel movies, the details of which are yet to be revealed.
Whether Verbinski will finally be the one to get Gambit off the ground remains to be seen, but as always, we’ll be sure to let you know once any further updates arise.
