Someone else is going to need to tell Channing Tatum where to throw cards as director Rupert Wyatt has evacuated Gambit due to scheduling issues.
Initial reports blamed disagreements over the script’s direction and a ballooning budget, but a spokesperson for the director denies those claims. The film about the Cajun cardslinger was set to start filming in November but pushed back to March, resulting in a scheduling conflict for the Rise of the Planet of the Apes director.
This isn’t the first time Gambit has hit a hurdle in pre-production. Contract issues with star Channing Tatum nearly derailed the project all together. After finalizing Tatum’s deal, producers have struggled to find a female lead, with an offer out to Spectre star Léa Seydoux as recently as late August but not yet confirmed.
Rumor has it that the studio wants to cross Gambit over with the rest of the X-Men franchise and Deadpool, possibly with the intention of Tatum taking Hugh Jackman’s place as the centerpiece of the comic franchise following Wolverine’s upcoming exit.
Gambit is due out October 7th, 2016.
