Moviefone Editorial

Tag: gambit-spinoff

  • Channing Tatum’s ‘Gambit’ Delayed by Rewrites, Production Pushed Again

    'Hail, Caesar!' Press Conference - 66th Berlinale International Film FestivalTrouble has been brewing around Channing Tatum’s “X-Men” spinoff “Gambit” for months, and now, the flick has reportedly suffered another setback. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is undergoing a new series of rewrites, which have pushed production back until later this year. That means that “Gambit”‘s planned October 2016 release date has now been canceled completely, and so far no replacement date has been scheduled.

    THR reports that “Gambit” director Doug Liman will now direct an entirely different movie during the timeframe he was to shoot the mutant flick, which is now tentatively scheduled to begin production at the end of 2016. “Gambit” is currently in the midst of extensive rewrites, per THR’s report, with Tatum’s producing partner, Reid Carolin, handling scripting duties for this latest pass over the screenplay.

    This is just the newest roadblock for “Gambit,” which has had a seemingly never-ending string of problems since studio Fox gave it the official greenlight last year. First, the flick spent months searching for a director (and was reportedly passed on by a bunch of big names, including Darren Aronofsky and Bennett Miller). Then, Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”) signed on, only to drop out of the project a few months later amid reported conflict over creative decisions (and a significantly altered production scheduled). Liman swooped in two months later, but then the planned March 2016 start date — pushed back from November 2015 — was once again delayed.

    So things don’t look great at this point for “Gambit,” and with Liman off filming another movie, that will give him even less time to prep for the spinoff’s shoot (though THR says the director “plans on knocking it out with a late spring/early summer shoot before returning to pre-production on ‘Gambit’”). THR also reports that the status of Lea Seydoux, who was to have played the female lead, is also unclear at this point; the potential recasting of a major role could be another obstacle that delays the proceedings. But on the flip side, Ryan Reynolds kept hope alive for seven years before his passion project, “Deadpool,” hit theaters; perhaps Tatum just needs to be patient, and “Gambit” will eventually come together.

    Stay tuned. It seems this story is nowhere near close to finished.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

    %Slideshow-327734%

  • Will Rogue Appear in ‘Gambit’? Anna Paquin Weighs In

    anna paquin, rogue, x-menNot much is known yet about the plot of Channing Tatum‘s upcoming “X-Men” spinoff flick, “Gambit,” including whether or not fellow mutant Rogue will make an appearance. Now, actress Anna Paquin, who plays Rogue in the series, may have an answer.

    In a Twitter exchange with fans earlier this week, Paquin was asked point-blank whether or not she will be in “Gambit.” Paquin’s response? A simple “no.”


    But when the media ran with that quote, stating definitively that Paquin wouldn’t be in the flick, the actress backtracked a bit, updating Twitter once more to clarify that her statement “wasn’t a press release” and that she just supplied “the information that I currently have.” So does that mean that she will appear in the movie after all?


    Maybe, but probably not. SlashFilm has a good analysis of how the films’ timelines make it seem unlikely that Paquin would star in “Gambit,” because if that flick is set in the 1980s (which is the rumor right now), then Rogue would be only a baby, according to the chronology of the existing movies. That means, obviously, that she can’t be a love interest for Tatum’s Gambit, like she is in the “X-Men” comic stories; plus, with the addition of Lea Seydoux to the cast as Bella Donna Boudreaux, the love interest angle is already covered.

    Of course, the plot for “Gambit” may not be set in stone yet, especially considering the film’s behind-the-scenes woes. It has an October 2016 release date, but its director, Rupert Wyatt, just suddenly left the project, and no replacement has been named yet. Production was also pushed from this fall to next March, another sign that the creative side has some issues.

    So Paquin-as-Rogue may yet fit into this version of Gambit’s story; it’s all a bit up in the air at this point. As Paquin herself noted, things may change, so stay tuned.

    [via: Anna Paquin, Anna Paquin, h/t SlashFilm]

    %Slideshow-158886%

  • Rupert Wyatt to Direct Channing Tatum in ‘Gambit’

    "The Gambler" New York PremiereChanning Tatum‘s upcoming “X-Men” spinoff, “Gambit,” has had some trouble snagging a director, but now, it looks like that position has finally been filled.

    Entertainment Weekly reports that Rupert Wyatt, who directed reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” has been tapped to helm the film, which focuses on the New Orleans-born mutant. Tatum is taking over the role from Taylor Kitsch, who appeared as Gambit in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” This will be the card-throwing character’s first solo flick.

    Tatum had long desired to see Gambit get his big screen due, though a movie took some time to materialize. First, the studio needed to sign on; then, the flick floundered for months without a director (and was reportedly rejected by high-profile people including Darren Aronofsky and Tatum’s “Foxcatcher” director Bennett Miller). But now, it seems that Wyatt is at the helm, and work can finally start on the feature, which is due in theaters later next year.

    No official word has come down from studio Fox yet. Stay tuned to see what they have to say about Wyatt (and perhaps the rest of the cast).

    “Gambit” is slated for release on October 7, 2016.

    [via: Entertainment Weekly]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

    %Slideshow-3230%