Doug Liman In Talks To Helm Sci-Fi Thriller CHAOS WALKING; Could GAMBIT Be Facing Another Delay?
Edge Of Tomorrow director Doug Liman is inching toward signing on to helm the upcoming film adaptation of the young adult dystopian thriller Chaos Walking. So, what does this mean for Gambit?
The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Doug Liman (Edge Of Tomorrow) is currently in negotiations with Lionsgate & Summit Entertainment to direct their upcoming film adaptation of the dystopian young-adult sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking. The film will be based on the first book in Patrick Ness' best-selling trilogy about a post-apocalyptic world where there are no women and all living creatures can hear one another's thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine For The Spotless Mind) is penning the script and the studios hope production can begin this fall.
Coincidentally, another of Liman's upcoming projects - Gambit - is also expected to kick off production this fall. So, if Liman's deal for Chaos Walking closes, what will it mean for 20th Century Fox's upcoming Channing Tatum-led X-Men spin-off?
Well, no one's reporting on it just yet, but there may be another delay on the horizon. Once again, this is not confirmation, just speculation, but unless both films shoot simultaneously, which, considering each will likely require at least a 60-day shoot, is highly unlikely, one of these films is getting pushed to winter 2016, early 2017, or later. THR's report did say Chaos Walking was hoping for a fall start date, key word being "hoping," so that could definitely be the one that gets pushed back, but there's a good chance it could be the seemingly ill-fated Gambit as well, which while disappointing is certainly not bad news by any means. Last we heard, Liman was overseeing rewrites on the Gambit script and if a delay delivers us a better final product (a la Deadpool), then a delay now could be for the best in the long-term.
Liman's last project was the critically acclaimed Edge Of Tomorrow and he most recently wrapped another Tom Cruise-starrer, Mena, which is due out January 2017. He's expected to start production on The Wall this summer before kicking off either Gambit or Chaos Walking. He also has two Cruise-starrers Luna Park and an Edge of Tomorrow sequel lined up for the future.
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!