After cycling through at least two possible directors (Rupert Wyatt and Doug Liman), X-Men spin-off Gambit, which still has Channing Tatum attached to star, has landed the latest candidate. According to Deadline, Pirates Of The Caribbean veteran Gore Verbinski is now negotiating to handle the superhero movie.
Gambit, of course, is better known as Remy LeBeau, the smooth-talking, kinetic energy-utilising Cajun X-rebel glimpsed in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and played then by Taylor Kitsch. But the comicbook staple has a long history, one the new film will no doubt try to encompass while charting its own course. "He's not your typical hero," Tatum has said of the character. "He’s a thief. He walks on the grey."
Josh Zetumer wrote a draft of the script, though Tatum's producing partner Reid Carolin, who is developing the movie along with the actor and regular X-Men overseers Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg, has more recently taken a crack at it.
Verbinski obviously has the effects experience to tackle something like this, while making sure it has a little attitude. He's also recently worked with 20th Century Fox, though both sides might be inclined to forget that A Cure For Wellness made $26.5 million globally. We'll see if he's finally the man to make Gambit once his deal has actually closed.
Exclusive: Channing Tatum Talks Standalone Gambit X-Men Film