The X-Men movie franchise has been making great strides with expanding beyond the main series, but one project that's had trouble getting off the ground is Gambit. One of the obstacles the spinoff centered on the card-throwing mutant (who will be played by Channing Tatum) has faced is losing two directors, Rupert Wyatt and Doug Liman. But as the old saying goes, the third time's the charm. According to a new report, Pirates of the Caribbean's Gore Verbinski is now in the running to oversee Gambit.
Per THR, Gore Verbinksi is in early talks to direct Gambit. While Verbinksi is no stranger to working on blockbusters after helming the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, if he finalizes a deal with 20th Century Fox, this will be his first directing a superhero movie. Verbinski's other notable credits include The Weather Man, Rango, The Lone Ranger and A Cure for Wellness.
Gore Verbinski's potential involvement in Gambit is the latest development in the project's tumultuous journey. Originally scheduled for be released on October 7, 2016, Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt was hired in June 2015 to direct the Ragin' Cajun's solo adventure. But by September of the same year, Wyatt departed Gambit due to scheduling conflicts. Two months later, The Bourne Identity's Doug Liman was tapped at Wyatt's replacement, and soon after the 2016 release date was dropped. By August 2016, Liman had signed on to direct Justice League Dark for the DC Extended Universe, resulting in his departure from Gambit (though he would later leave Justice League Dark, too). Last December, it was rumored that The Shawshank Redemption's Frank Darabont was in consideration to direct Gambit, but now Verbinski is the new top contender.
Introduced to the comics in 1990, Gambit, whose real name is Remy LeBeau, is able to channel convert the potential energy stored in an object and turn it into pure kinetic energy, causing them to explode. He primarily uses his mutant ability on playing cards, charging them with energy and then throwing them as projectiles. He also frequently charges his handy bo staff; not to the point where it will explode, but where it will still pack a powerful "punch." In addition to his appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series (where he was a main character), X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men, as well as numerous video games, Gambit was previously portrayed on the silver screen by Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
We here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on how the Gambit movie is progressing as more updates come in. For now, you can look through our X-Men movie guide to find out what else the franchise has coming up.
