Gore Verbinski Exits as Director of ‘X-Men’ Spinoff ‘Gambit’
Channing Tatum stars in the film set for a 2019 release
Beatrice Verhoeven | January 11, 2018 @ 10:35 AM
Last Updated: January 11, 2018 @ 11:03 AM
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Gore Verbinski has stepped away from directing the “X-Men” spin-off “Gambit,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Channing Tatum stars in the film set for a Valentine’s Day 2019 release. Verbinski joined the project in October following Rupert Wyatt’s departure in October 2015 and Doug Liman in August 2016.
Tatum will play the titular mutant superhero, who wields a bo staff and can throw energy-charged cards at his enemies and was a member of a thieves guild before reforming and joining the X-Men.
In November, it was reported that Lizzy Caplan was in talks to star alongside Tatum in the film. She would play the female lead in the film, but specifics of her role were not disclosed.
“Gambit” is the last of four X-Men films currently in development at Fox. The other three, which will be released this year, are Josh Boone’s horror film “The New Mutants,” David Leitch’s “Untitled Deadpool Sequel,” and Simon Kinberg’s “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.”
Josh Zetumer wrote the script for “Gambit,” while Tatum, Reid Carolin, Simon Kingberg and Lauren Shuler Donner are producing.
Verbinski last directed “A Cure for Wellness” and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and is currently in pre-production on “Spaceless,” on which he also serves as producer. He is also serving as a producer on “The Last Son of Isaac Lemay” and “Bitterroot.”
Verbinski is represented by Anonymous Content, Slate PR and CAA.
All 10 'X-Men' Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best (Photos)
The superhero film franchise is still going strong after 15-plus years. TheWrap's film critic Alonso Duralde ranks all the "X-Men" movies and their spin-offs from worst to best.
20th Century Fox
10. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009)
It’s incumbent on prequels to have enough vitality to keep us from noticing that we’re heading to a pre-determined destination, but this listlessly written ordeal -- loaded with terrible effects and horrible misuse of future franchise savior Deadpool -- ranks as the hottest mess of the mutant adventures.
20th Century Fox
9. "X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016)
There are many sins we can forgive in a superhero epic, but dullness is not among them. Director Bryan Singer, usually adept at creating these movies, shockingly drops the ball here, with a who-cares world-domination plot from the titular villain (played by an unrecognizable Oscar Isaac) and more characters than he apparently knows how to handle.
20th Century Fox
8. "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006)
Brett Ratner has reimagined himself as a successful producer of blockbusters and documentaries of late, and if that means he won’t be directing any more movies like this one, more power to him. Ratner threw out all the characterization from the previous two films and crafted a thud-and-blunder action epic that emphasized cacophony and spectacle over story. It wasn’t enough to kill the franchise, but this one definitely counts as a stain on its reputation.
20th Century Fox
7. "The Wolverine" (2013)
Something of a mixed bag -- we get two powerful and captivating female leads for Hugh Jackman to play against, before the film gets mired in corporate intrigue and Japanese sightseeing -- but it’s a huge improvement over the previous Wolverine solo vehicle. Jackman promises one more of these, and then he’s done, so let’s hope the upward trajectory continues.
20th Century Fox
6. "X-Men" (2000)
Here’s where it all began, and a case can be made that the success of this 2000 film, alongside 2002’s “Spider-Man” and 2005’s “Batman Begins,” laid the groundwork for the modern superhero ubiquity. The film cagily presents friends-turned-enemies Magneto and Professor X as the Malcolm X and MLK of mutant liberation, giving this Bryan Singer-directed tale more heft than just dudes in spandex whomping each other.
20th Century Fox
5. "Logan" (2017)
It's 2029, and an aging Wolverine and 90-something Professor X are hiding out from the world at large -- until they're called to help a new mutant find her way to safety. On the heels of "Deadpool," this R-rated entry allows for bloodier violence and saltier language, and if the storytelling doesn't find new levels of maturity, "The Wolverine" director James Mangold makes the most of his new freedoms, resulting in a rousingly fun character-capper (or is it?).
20th Century Fox
4. "X-Men: First Class" (2011)
British action director Matthew Vaughn (“Layer Cake”) gave the series a much-needed jolt of adrenaline with this prequel, taking us back to the beginning of the story and showing how a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) joined forces before tragically parting ways and pursuing differing philosophies.
20th Century Fox
3. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" (2013)
After a lengthy absence, director Bryan Singer returned to the mutants, juggling multiple timelines and characters in a saga wherein Wolverine must return to the groovy Paris of the early 1970s to change history and stop the deadly Sentinels from being created to capture and destroy all mutants. This one’s almost as overcrowded as “Apocalypse,” but at least the characters still get some breathing room.
20th Century Fox
2. "Deadpool" (2016)
The overinflated superhero genre has been overdue for a popping, and this breezy action comedy provided the much-needed pin. Making up for the misuse of the character in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” a returning Ryan Reynolds turned the comics’ legendary “Merc with a Mouth” into a human Daffy Duck, bouncing back from every explosion and injury while simultaneously shattering the fourth wall and mocking the franchise in the most R-rated way possible. These movies had it coming.
20th Cenutry Fox
1." X2" (2003)
Still arguably one of the best superhero films ever made, this entry enjoys all the second-time-around benefits of any franchise where the first movie had to lay all the groundwork and tell all the origin stories. Smart and politically provocative, featuring strong performances by actors who have been given real characters to play, and loaded with plenty of satisfying action, “X2” remains the gold standard -- and Singer's best entry -- for this series.
20th Century Fox
1 of 11
Where does Hugh Jackman’s “Logan” rank among all the entries in the mutant movie franchise?
The superhero film franchise is still going strong after 15-plus years. TheWrap's film critic Alonso Duralde ranks all the "X-Men" movies and their spin-offs from worst to best.