Another morsel of comic book movie news arrives today from the scoopster supreme at Latino Review, El Mayimbe. His latest tidbit of insider intel isn’t connected to Warner Bros.’ DC movie-verse or Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, but Fox’s X-Men Universe. According to his knowledge, Channing Tatum has been courting a list of “big” name directors to helm his upcoming X-spinoff, Gambit.
FREE TWITTER SCOOP! Channing Tatum going after BIG names to direct GAMBIT. He approached Bennett Miller & Darren Aronofsky who both passed.
— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) April 16, 2015
Tatum landed the leading role on the long-awaited movie back in October 2014 and has since boarded as a producer, which goes some way to explaining why he’s so proactive in seeking out the perfect director. As El Mayimbe outlines in his short-but-sweet Tweet, Tatum has already approached Foxcatcher‘s Bennett Miller AND Requiem For A Dream‘s Darren Aronofsky, but alas they both declined the gig. While that may strike a blow to those hoping for solid news on the movie’s development, it’s still an encouraging sign to know that Tatum is invested in procuring the perfect person for the job.
Whoever lands the position will direct from a script by Robocop scribe Josh Zetumer, who is drafting a screenplay based on a treatment by X-Men comic book writer Chris Claremont. Along with Stan Lee, Claremont created the character – real name Remy LaBeau – and launched one of the most successful mutant-related series, The Uncanny X-Men.
Before the Cajun trickster hits cinemas worldwide on October 7, 2016, Tatum’s version of Gambit is expected to make his debut in the next main X-flick X-Men: Apocalypse, which is currently in pre-production and set to open on May 27, 2016.