EDITORIAL: Why The GAMBIT Movie Fell Apart, And What 21st Century Fox Can Do Next

EDITORIAL: Why The GAMBIT Movie Fell Apart, And What 21st Century Fox Can Do Next

After Gore Verbinski became the third director to leave Gambit, the chances of this movie ever happening got even thinner. Why has this movie been so hard to get off the ground, and what should Fox do now?

Editorial Opinion
By jph152 - Jan 17, 2018 11:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Gambit
After yet another release date switch and director exit, most people have pretty much given up on the prospect of seeing Channing Tatum’s Gambit star in his own solo movie. Even though the actor signed on for the role four years ago and still hasn’t appeared as the character in any capacity, Fox still wants to make Gambit a reality. 
 
While Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox will change the direction the X-Men are heading in, the actual purchase will not be official for a while, so there is still time to get this film off the ground. However, since Gore Verbinski was the third director to leave the film, this is probably the right time to pull the plug. What might be most telling are the reasons directors have quit this project. Rupert Wyatt was said to have quit because he thought the movie was heading in the wrong direction, and not because of scheduling issues, the originally report reason. Fear of studio involvement is always an issue when dealing with big-budget movies, and this has been a recurring problem at Fox in particular
 
Part of the reason it’s been so difficult to bring Gambit to the big screen is the nature of the character. While Gambit has been the focus of several series of solo comics, he is most well known for his appearances as part of the X-Men team. Gambit is certainly a popular character, partly because of his role in the 1990s X-Men animated series—however, he isn’t on the same level as Wolverine and Deadpool, the only other Marvel characters Fox has recently given solo films.
 


 

It looks like Fox was leaning pretty heavily on Channing Tatum’s star power to get people excited about Gambit, as the character doesn’t have the same cinematic appeal as the most popular on-screen superheroes. Filmmakers could definitely create some cool visuals with Gambit’s kinetic card-throwing abilities, but it wouldn’t appeal to mainstream audiences in the same way as characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man. Of course, groundbreaking visuals aren’t necessary for a movie to be good, but it’s a pretty dependable way of getting people interested in a movie. 
 
So what can Fox do with the character? It seems like a no-brainer to me to make Gambit an important piece of the inevitable MCU version of the X-Men, but the timetable makes things a bit complicated. By the time the details between Fox and Disney are sorted out and Marvel Studios gets a new X-Men film off the ground, will Tatum still be interested in the project? It took seven years for a proper version of Deadpool starring Ryan Reynolds to hit theatres, but Tatum might not have the same patience. Also, Marvel Studios might want to go in a different direction with the character.
 
Even if a Gambit solo movie does end up happening, I think at the very least Fox needs to rethink their strategy for it. The budget for Gambit was originally supposed to be over $150 million, and the latest reports surrounding the film say the movie will have a comedic tone. First of all, that seems like a lot of money for a heist movie with a card-throwing protagonist. Also, Gambit has been a funny character in the past, but making the film an outright comedy is definitely an unexpected direction.
 
It’s clear that Fox still needs to iron out lots of details for this movie, and since there’s been very little progress made over the course of four years, it might be best to just bring Gambit back into the X-Men where he belongs.
 
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Mercwitham0uth
Mercwitham0uth - 1/17/2018, 12:25 PM
Next step is to just give up.
RocknRolla
RocknRolla - 1/17/2018, 12:30 PM
@Mercwitham0uth - I know, let marvel do it now
PBIRD
PBIRD - 1/17/2018, 1:19 PM
@Mercwitham0uth - no....this is fox, they would not be who they are if they didn't pointlessly try to ruin a great story by making a shit movie out of it
lvcl
lvcl - 1/17/2018, 2:53 PM
We had enough Fox-Gambit in Wolverine Origins

just let MARVEL STUDIOS do their thing...the X-Men as a team...

Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 1/17/2018, 12:31 PM
Fox just let it go.
Deadergeek
Deadergeek - 1/17/2018, 12:32 PM
Wow! FOX has a hard on for a C list X-men.
GogoGadgetMan
GogoGadgetMan - 1/17/2018, 2:22 PM
@Deadergeek - C- list, Z- list nonsense is funny now, because any character can be A list it all comes down if the want to make a movie or not.
Starlight
Starlight - 1/17/2018, 12:40 PM
"What 21st Century Fox Can Do Next"... tehy should sit tight and wait for MARVEL make their movies...
jph152
jph152 - 1/17/2018, 1:31 PM
@Starlight - agreed
Jiloco
Jiloco - 1/17/2018, 12:55 PM
If Channing is the perfect Gambit, why use him now knowing the entire xmen universe will soon get a reboot? Save him for the new and improved MCU reality.
rebelnmotion
rebelnmotion - 1/17/2018, 1:18 PM
The deal has been signed but still needs to go through anti-trust approval and countless other certification processes by countless other acronym heavy entities. That being said, Gambit is not cool without the X-men. X-men are not cool without Marvel. Marvel can't make the movie yet. 2+2=4! Let it go.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/17/2018, 1:22 PM
Just do this:



Forget it being a "solo" movie, make them co-leads, appeal to fans of the 90's cartoon and do a romantic caper.
Cryptonautaz
Cryptonautaz - 1/17/2018, 2:27 PM
Can't we at least first see Wolverine on film before we see lame ole Gambit?
GogoGadgetMan
GogoGadgetMan - 1/17/2018, 2:28 PM
@NillaSoul - Gambit lame?, sit down son.
superbigguy32
superbigguy32 - 1/17/2018, 2:37 PM
Gambit is a great character, but it’s funny sometimes how people think he’s lame. Once someone portrays him in the movies and he’s gonna be a standout, that’s when everyone is gonna be claiming to be a fan for years, like everyone claims they’ve been a fan of Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s always been in my top 5 favorite heroes and I can’t wait for him to get a proper introduction in the movies.
TheUnworthyThor
TheUnworthyThor - 1/17/2018, 2:47 PM
@superbigguy32 - I find there is a lot of people around here who lack imagination and like to display why they are better suited to making comments online rather than making creative decisions anywhere.
LoganMjolnir
LoganMjolnir - 1/17/2018, 3:08 PM
Because we need this:


And then, this:


Nobody want a Gambit, James Madrox (really?) or a Kitty Pryde movie, for fooksake.
BloodyBed
BloodyBed - 1/17/2018, 4:01 PM
I still have faith in you gambit!

God dammit.
Canon108
Canon108 - 1/17/2018, 5:04 PM
Hard reboot, set X-Men in present day. Show the deterioration between Magneto and Xavier's friendship...have Legion the villain in the first film, Apocalypse in the second, and Magneto the villain in the 3rd film.
GreedoSarducci
GreedoSarducci - 1/17/2018, 5:06 PM
Meanwhile, Taylor Kitsch waits next to his phone...
ImperiousRex
ImperiousRex - 1/17/2018, 5:10 PM
There is a such thing as great supporting characters, which Gambit is. Fantomex, Psylocke, Nightcrawler...the X-Men are full of great characters who shouldn't have full solo movies. No slight to Gambit when I say his solo movie is not needed, or least not until he is introduced and done well in an ensemble movie.

Channing Tatum was never the right actor, regardless of his level of fitness. Even at his current age, Harry Connick Jr. would be better than Tatum.
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