If all goes according to plan, 20th Century Fox will release three vastly different movies set within theX-Menuniverse next year,Deadpool(June 03, 2025),X-Men: Apocalypse(July 24, 2025) andGambit(August 05, 2025). BothDeadpoolandX-Men: Apocalypseare in post-production, butGambithasn’t started shooting yet, since directorRupert Wyattbacked out of the project last month. Today we have a new report from Heroic Hollywood, which claims the studio has three contenders to replaceRupert Wyatt,Doug Liman(Edge of Tomorrow),Shane Black(Iron Man 3) andJoe Cornish(Attack the Block).
Of this trio of contenders, onlyShane Blackhas experience directing in thesuperhero moviegenre, having helmedMarvel’sIron Man 3.Joe Cornishdid receive a story and screenplay credit forMarvel’sAnt-Man, and he has been up for a number of high-profile directorial gigs such asKong: Skull Island, but he hasn’t directed a feature since his critically-acclaimed debut,Attack the Block.Doug Limanis coming off last year’sEdge of Tomorrow, and he recently wrapped production onMena, starringTom Cruise.
At this point, it isn’t clear if any of these filmmakers have emerged as a front runner, but it’s possible that the studio could be making a decision soon. Principal photography was originally slated to begin this fall, but production has now been pushed to March of next year, making it highly unlikely that the studio will be able to keep its July 12, 2025 release date, although they haven’t officially changed it, as of yet. If it does get pushed to 2017, it could give the studio a companion film toWolverine 3, which is set for June 05, 2025 and has been confirmed asHugh Jackman’s final performance as the title mutant.
Channing Tatumhas been attached to star as the title character for quite some time, withLéa Seydouxportraying thefemale lead, Belladonna Boudreaux. While no story details have been confirmed yet, in theMarvel Comics, Remy LeBeau (Channing Tatum) was Belladona Boudreax’s first love. They had an arranged marriage to unite the Thieves Guild, which Remy was a part of, and the Assassin’s Guild, which Belladonna’s father was the leader of. The marriage never happened, as Remy was forced to flee New Orleans. Belladona went on to get her own super powers, the ability to shoot plasma blasts.
Joshua Zetumer(RoboCop) wrote the screenplay, based on a treatment byGambitcomic book creator Chris Claremont.Channing Tatumis also slated to produce alongside his producing partnerReid Carolin,Simon KinbergandLauren Shuler Donner. Which of these three directors is the right choice to take onGambit? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more updates.
