Just a month ago, a report began circulating that the upcoming X-Men spinoff movie Gambit starring Channing Tatum as the title character was hoping to get The Bourne Identity and Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman to fill its director’s chair. That report appears to have had some truth to it, as Liman is reportedly finalizing a deal to direct the film.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Liman is currently in final negotiations for the project, which already has Tatum and Spectre actress Lea Seydoux attached as its lead actors. Along with Liman, the studio was reportedly considering filmmakers Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Shane Black (Iron Man 3), and F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) at various points to replace original director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), who left the project back in September.
Gambit will feature Tatum as Marvel Comics’ popular, recurring member of the mutant superhero team the X-Men who has the power to charge inanimate objects with explosive kinetic energy. A Louisiana native raised by the mysterious Guild of Thieves, Remy LeBeau (a.k.a. Gambit) first appeared in a 1990 issue of Marvel Comics’ Uncanny X-Men series. The character was created by artist Jim Lee and writer Chris Claremont, and Claremont also provided the initial story outline for the film. The screenplay for Gambit was penned by RoboCop screenwriter Josh Zetumer, and is expected to offer an origin story of sorts for the character.
In the X-Men movie-verse, Gambit was portrayed by Taylor Kitsch in the 2009 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and the character’s name also appeared in a list of mutants seen briefly in X2: X-Men United.
Gambit is expected to begin production soon in and around New Orleans and is currently scheduled to hit theaters October 7, 2016.
