Having known to be forever in development hell, the "Gambit" movie is finally starting to move forward into production. Not only might there be a director to helm the project, the movie also has a scheduled release date.
The "Gambit" movie has been in the works for quite some time, but it seems that things are looking up. After a script overhaul and the exit of two directors, the ball is set in motion for the production. According to a report made by Deadline, "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski is making a deal with 20th Century Fox to direct the mutant spinoff starring Channing Tatum.
As of December of last year, Frank Darabont of "The Shawshank Redemption" was rumored to be considered to oversee the project, and now it looks like Verbinski is the frontrunner at Fox to direct the picture. Should Verbinski sign on, then this would be his first superhero feature.
That being said, along with the news of a potential director, Fox has now set a release date for the movie. "Gambit" is set to come out on Valentine's Day in 2019 according to another report by Deadline. It will be going up against other superhero features like DC Extended Universe's "Shazam!," "Avengers 4," as well as the sequels to "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Wonder Woman," and the "Hellboy" reboot among others.
While there have not been any other casting announcements aside from Tatum, rumor has it that Daniel Craig is being eyed to join the film as one of the biggest X-Men villains. Craig is said to be playing Nathaniel Essex a.k.a. Mr. Sinister.
This comes in turn of the rumored plot of the film with Mr. Sinister as its main villain. While it would be nice to first see Mr. Sinister in an X-Men team film, it also makes sense for him to first appear in the "Gambit" movie, given the history between the two characters. It is said that there is talk about bringing Craig into the production before reprising the role again in future X-Men films.
Naturally, this will also depend on Craig's schedule, given that he will be reprising his role as James Bond for the fifth and final time in an upcoming Bond movie.
