Channing Tatum had signed on to play Gambit in a solo movie since 2014, and almost half a decade later, the film still looks no closer to being made. Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix director and longtime X-men producer, gives us an update on the Gambit movie and talks about where it stands in the Fox X-universe.
Talking to ScreenRant at NYCC, Kinberg shares:
"I think with the standalone movies, meaning Logan and Deadpool. Not mainline, X-Men movies, one of the things we've strived to do is sort of create a sub-genre within the genre of the superhero movie. Obviously Deadpool was like a R-rated comedy. Logan was very much a western. And, so we talked a lot about who Gambit is. And it's always motivated by the character. We talked a lot about who Gambit is as a character and the things that Channing [Tatum] relates to in the character. And so obviously he's a thief, obviously you know his superpowers, those things are going to be very present and prevalent in the movie. But he's also a scoundrel, and a rascal, and a womanizer, and a lot of other things that we felt like we could explore in his relationships with women and one of the genres that is underserviced genre now is the romantic comedy."
Making Gambit a rom-com may lead to some fans scoffing at the notion, but Kinberg promises that the film will still come with everything you expect from a comic book movie. There will still be superpowers, explosions, and a lot of action. It's just that the spirit of a rom-com will be at the base of the film.
I'm actually curious that this movie is still attempting to get made even after all the time in development hell. Add to that the fact that Disney is set to acquire the Fox IP early next year, possibly leading to a full reboot of the X-Men. As of now, it looks like the Fox train is still chugging, and unless Disney says so, these X-Men movies are just going to keep coming.
Gambit has been set for a release on March 13, 2020, but based on the film's current status, everyone is expecting a delay.
See Also: Dark Phoenix Will Have a More Mature Cyclops Says Tye Sheridan