Doug Liman to Direct Sniper Thriller Due to 'Gambit' Delay

As Doug Liman waits for a new draft of “Gambit” to come in, the “Edge of Tomorrow” filmmaker has entered negotiations to direct the sniper thriller “The Wall” for Amazon Studios, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.

Dwain Worrell wrote the screenplay, which was voted to the 2014 Black List and was the first spec script bought by Amazon.

“The Wall” follows a sniper and his spotter who are pinned down behind a chunk of wall by a legendary sniper.

Also Read: 'Batman v Superman' Review: Ben Affleck's Got the Cool Car, But Wonder Woman Steals the Show

Liman plans to knock out the modestly scaled project quickly this summer before he’s slated to direct Channing Tatum‘s “Gambit” before the end of the year.

20th Century Fox’s comic book movie was initially slated for release in October, though production was delayed due to script issues. Tatum and his producing partner, Reid Carolin, are currently seeking a screenwriter to handle the latest rewrite, which could follow a new creative direction.

Rupert Wyatt was originally set to direct “Gambit” with Lea Seydoux as his leading lady, but Liman ended up taking over and is expected to start his casting search from scratch outside of long-attached star and producer Tatum.

Liman’s talks for “The Wall” were first reported by THR.

Beyond Deadpool: 10 More Superheroes Who Deserve R-Rated Movies (Photos)

Batman

Batman is essentially a psychopath hunting for psychopaths in a city that seems to be run by psychopaths. This is prime territory for an R-rating.
DC Comics
Daredevil

Marvel and Netflix have rescued Daredevil's legacy from the Affleck era and seem to be moving in this direction already. All that's left would be to transfer Charlie Cox's blind vigilante to the big screen.
Marvel
Wolverine

With Fox recasting many of the X-Men for younger stars, Wolverine may be due for a facelift soon. Hopefully, that means an edgier film that truly shows what Logan is: an animal living amongst us.
Marvel
Cassandra Cain

"Jessica Jones" has shown that a female superhero can not only kick ass, but can be tortured and dark. Cain's backstory is frightening -- she's the daughter of two assassins who abused her as a child in order to mold her into the world's deadliest assassin. She served for a time as Batgirl before traveling to Asia to find and kill her parents. Not a PG kind of story.
DC Comics
Punisher

Yes, the Punisher has already gotten a R-rated film, but it never felt like it's been done right. Again, it looks like Netflix is moving in the right direction. Maybe Jon Bernthal will headline his own film someday.
Marvel
Spawn

Though a cult-classic film came out in 1997, its overall campiness and cheap special effects prevented Spawn from catching on. We'd love a new, grown-up take on the story of an ex-assassin who was murdered before selling his soul to the devil to come back.
Image Comics
Starfire

Starfire's relationship misadventures could lead a comedy in the vein of "Bridesmaids" for a fresh take on the superhero genre.
DC Comics
The Boys

When superheroes get reckless and endanger the world, the government sends in...The Boys. They're a group of super-enforcers who keep heroes in line. There was talk in the past about an Adam McKay adaptation, but that was before he turned his attention to real global disasters with "The Big Short."
Dynamite Entertainment
Lobo

A villain who morphed into an anti-hero, the ultra-violent Lobo was intended to be an indictment of Marvel's Punisher and Wolverine. However, his popularity shot through the roof, and he even became Stan Lee's favorite DC character. A planned film adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson has been indefinitely delayed.
DC Comics
X-Force

Essentially a more militant and aggressive form of the X-Men team, X-Force could lead the new Fox films in a grittier direction. With the introduction of Psylocke and the recasting of key X-Men, many pieces of an original X-Force team should be in place after "X-Men: Apocalypse."
Marvel