Superhero movies have become quite popular over the last decade. As we all know, Marvel and DC are the two forces that are dominating the big screens. Marvel Studios, in particular, has given quite a few of its superheroes their own standalone movies and sequels such as "Iron Man," "Captain America," "Thor," "Spider-Man," to name a few. As for the "X-Men," it has enjoyed six successful standalone movies and one spin-off series for the "Wolverine." But recently, a Gambit standalone film was reportedly on the rocks with Fox Studios.

What happened?

The character of Gambit, also known as Remy LeBeau, was created by Jim Lee and Chris Claremont in 1990.

He is a mutant with an excellent card-throwing skill that he can control mentally. The cards that he throws can explode due to kinetic energy. His weapons include his favorite staff and a stack of playing cards. Channing Tatum made a deal to star and produce the film in 2015 after appearing in Fox Studios’ Comic-Con panel together with the cast of "X-Men: Apocalypse."

However, back in 2014 when “Gambit” was still in pre-production, Fox Studios requested that the film be stalled. No particular reason was given by the studio at the time. But insiders believe that it was due to the main cast member, channing tatum not liking the script and the direction of the movie. It was in January 2015 that the production resumed and this time, Tatum had reportedly requested to get his close friend Rupert Wyatt ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes") to take over the helm.

But in October 2015, Wyatt pulled out of the project due to unspecified reasons.

Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity," "Edge of Tomorrow") was chosen as the next successor of the “Gambit” director’s chair. But in August 2016, Liman also left the project. When Liman left, Fox Studios chose Gore Verbinski only to lose him this January.

The director of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy cited creative differences as his main reason for leaving the project.

Is Fox not that interested in a Gambit film?

Now, with three directors already leaving the "Gambit" project, one may ask, is Fox not really interested at all? It is not about a question of interest but a question of trust.

As a matter of fact, Fox has been developing a "Gambit" script for years since the third "X-Men" film came out. Channing Tatum was already chosen to play the role of LeBeau but due to a scheduling conflict, his character was written out. The role ultimately went to Taylor Kitsch when it appeared on the first "X-Men" spin-off starring Hugh Jackman. Here’s the thing: it’s not that the studio is not interested in a "Gambit" film; they are afraid that it would fail at the box office just like the most recent incarnation of the "Fantastic Four."

Will the fans ever see a "Gambit" live-action film? Maybe in the future, when the studio has set all its priorities right.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED