After directing “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” for 20th Century Fox, director Rupert Wyatt has exited the studio’s Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum, TheWrap has learned.
The X-Men spinoff has been troubled from the start and now script and subsequent budget issues have led to a delay, according to insiders. The timing of the upcoming Mardi Gras festival in February may have also played a factor in Wyatt’s last-minute departure.
“I was very much looking forward to working with my friend Channing and the team at Fox, but regrettably a push in the start date now conflicts with another project. I thank them for the opportunity, and I know that Gambit will make a terrific film,” Wyatt said in a prepared statement.
“Gambit” had been slated to start production in November but has been delayed to early 2016, forcing Wyatt to exit the comic book project.
Tatum is producing the film with Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg and Reid Carolin. It is Fox and Kinberg’s second comic book movie to run into trouble following the “Fantastic Four” debacle.