Gambit Aiming For Early 2017 Shoot, Says Simon Kinberg

Few superhero projects in the last couple of years have been surrounded by such uncertainty as 20th Century Fox’s ‘Gambit.’

However, while the project has been in doubt for some time, X-Men series writer-producer Simon Kinberg says that a start date is on the horizon - even if he can’t be too specific.

Kinberg tells That Hashtag Show, "We have a great script on that, and hope to shoot that movie at the beginning or spring of next year.“

The solo movie for the 'X-Men’ character has been on the cards since May 2014, when producer Lauren Schuler Donner confirmed that Channing Tatum - who would long expressed interest in the card-slinging Cajun - would star and co-produce. (Taylor Kitsch, who initially played the role in the lamented 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,’ has endorsed Tatum’s casting.)

'Gambit’ had originally been set to open this autumn, which would have made it a huge year for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men universe given they had 'Deadpool’ in February, and 'X-Men: Apocalypse’ in May.

However, the development period was apparently not an easy one, and the original director Rupert Wyatt ('Rise of the Planet of the Apes’) withdrew from the film over scheduling conflicts.

After a number of replacement directors were considered - including Shane Black, F Gary Gray and Joe Cornish - eventually the job went to Doug Liman ('The Bourne Identity,’ 'Edge of Tomorrow’), and initially the film was still aiming for a 2016 release, until Fox officially lifted it from their schedule in February.

Tatum and Liman are still attached, although there doesn’t seem to be any confirmation as to whether or not Lea Seydoux - the 'Spectre’ actress initially set to portray Bella Donna - is still on board.

We don’t have a confirmed release date for 'Gambit’ either - but once again, it looks like 2017 will be a busy period for Fox, as the third 'Wolverine’ solo movie opens in March, and the 'Deadpool’ sequel is expected to be in production around the same time.

Picture Credit: WENN, Marvel

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