'Gambit' Cast, Update & Release Date: 4 Directors Pass Up On Channing Tatum's Upcoming 'X-Men' Spinoff
Marvel and DC Comics have both capitalized on the popularity of superheroes and had many of their original creations adapted for the big screen. But while many would jump at the idea of working on famous superhero characters, it seems that one character is finding it a challenge to do so.
There have been reports claiming that Channing Tatum's film, "Gambit," had been turned down by four directors already.
In January, it was confirmed that an "X-Men" spinoff movie featuring the card-throwing mutant would come out in 2016. While the standalone film is not the first time Gambit came out on the big screen, it is the character's first to be given a lead role.
"22 Jump Street" actor Tatum has been confirmed to play the main character in the movie. The actor told Empire that among the Marvel superheroes, he mostly related to Gambit's story.
"I love Gambit. I grew up in the South; my father's from Louisiana. We'd go to New Orleans and I heard all the dialects. It felt so different from the rest of America; it has its own ancient culture. So I identified with that. And he always felt the most real of the X-Men to me," said the actor.
"He's kind of a tortured soul and he's not a good guy. But he's not a bad guy, either. He walks his own path. And of course he plays cards and is a martial arts badass!," added Tatum.
But while the 35-year-old actor is delighted with the character, not everyone in Hollywood shares his enthusiasm.
In April, movie scooper Umberto Gonzales revealed on Twitter that two famous directors have declined to direct the movie.
"FREE TWITTER SCOOP! Channing Tatum going after BIG names to direct GAMBIT. He approached Bennett Miller & Darren Aronofsky who both passed," wrote Gonzales.
Tatum worked with Miller in the movie "Foxcatcher," so it was not a surprise that the actor approached him.
But aside from the two, a discussion during a Meet the Movie Press podcast divulged that "The Raid" director Gareth Evans and "A Most Violent Year" filmmaker J.C. Chandor were also approached by the actor and both declined.
While it's not clear what reasons these directors had for passing up the opportunity aside from a packed schedule, many speculate that the filmmakers are veering away from a comic book adaptation to steer clear of micromanagement from the studio producing it.
Previous Marvel movies' directors reportedly encountered trouble with Fox as the studio chiefs allegedly wanted more control on how the movies were filmed, as what happened with Gavin Hood in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," reported Screen Rant. Apparently, Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class" was rushed, according to January Jone's interview with Canoe.
"Gambit" is scheduled to hit theaters in October 2016 but until the movie finds a director and starts production soon, that date could soon change.
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