To no one’s surprise, Disney has scrubbed ‘Gambit’ from its release schedule. The ‘X-Men’ spinoff had been scheduled to open on March 13, 2020, but as far as we know, there wasn’t a final script or director attached, after Rupert Wyatt, Doug Liman and Gore Verbinski all came and went from the project.
RELATED: Channing Tatum Reportedly Wants To Direct ‘Gambit’ Himself
In January, on the cusp of Disney’s buyout of 20th Century Fox, who held the rights to the ‘X-Men’ film franchise, it was even rumored that star Channing Tatum wanted to direct it himself, just to get it made. It is known that control of these characters will shift under the control of Marvel Studios and its president Kevin Feige, so any X-films that had not yet been made were expected to be scrapped. In fact, for a while, it was even in question whether Disney would release the two movies that had, for the most part, already been completed, ‘Dark Phoenix’ and ‘New Mutants’, but now it is confirmed that both will get theatrical releases.
Just to be clear, Disney has simply removed ‘Gambit’ from its release schedule. No official word has been given that the film is 100% dead… but we all know it’s just a matter of time before that happens.
RELATED: Here’s Why Rupert Wyatt’s Iteration Of ‘Gambit’ Never Happened
‘Gambit’ had been in the works since 2014, after Tatum expressed a desire to play the mutant card-thrower. But the project just never took off. Over the years, various rumors have surfaced as to the direction of the film, with it being described as a “heist movie” and a “romantic sex comedy.” After the success of ‘Deadpool’, there was talk that ‘Gambit’ would follow suit and aim for an R-rating. Tatum declined an invitation to appear in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, which could have possibly elevated fan anticipation to see him in his own movie.
Prior to Tatum’s interest, Fox had tentative plans to create a ‘Gambit’ movie starring Taylor Kitsch who portrayed the character in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’, but after that movie bombed, all spinoffs (including ‘Deadpool’ with Ryan Reynolds) were scrapped.
At this point, it is believed that Marvel Studios will incorporate the ‘X-Men’ characters in their established universe, but Feige has stated that it will be five years before we hear anything about what they have planned.
Although it isn’t official, it is believed that the R-rated ‘Deadpool’ franchise will remain under Fox, separated from the rest of the brand.
Are you sad that ‘Gambit’ looks to be dead?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter