Age of The Nerd
The road to the ‘Gambit‘ solo film just got a little longer, as Gore Verbinski (A Cure for Wellness) has become the latest director to leave the film. THR is reporting that the long-gestating project is now in search for a new director. Back in 2015, we discussed who we thought should play Gambit in his solo film, but shortly thereafter, Channing Tatum closed a deal to produce and star as the titular character. Shortly thereafter, director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) joined the project, but left soon thereafter due to “creative differences”, as the studio and director had different visions for the film.
Next, Doug Lyman jumped aboard the project in August 2016, but was unable to find “a personal connection to the story” while developing the film. The film then was re-conceptualized after having massive success with R-rated superhero properties in both ‘Deadpool‘ and ‘Logan‘. Verbinski originally signed onto the project in October of 2017, and ‘Gambit‘ was set to begin shooting in New Orleans near the beginning of March later this year before the director’s untimely departure.
The project has long been a passion project for Tatum, but this seems to be bad news after three strikes in a row with the studio. The film has already signed Lizzy Caplan as the female lead in ‘Gambit‘, but without a director this point seems fairly moot. The film is intended to have more of a comedic tone, and supposedly revolves around a heist plot.
This film has been in development for at least 5 years, and Tatum has now been attached for nearly 3 years. Interestingly, the loss of Verbinski marks a crucial turning point for the development of this film. It’s really tough to say if the movie will even get made at this point, or even if it’s the right time for the movie to be made. Time will tell if Tatum will stick to his guns (for better or worse depending on how you feel about the casting), or retreat from the project at one point or another.
Make sure to tune back as we learn more in the coming months. In the meantime, here’s a clip that’ll catch you up with the character’s comic book origins, in case you are unfamiliar:
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7nkYxMpaQg”]
