Gambit: Channing Tatum Marvel movie eyeing spring 2017 production start

The card-slinging Remy LeBeau is still making his way to the big screen. After Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit in a solo movie for Fox’s X-Men franchise, the studio announced it would no longer open in theaters this year. While fans await a new release date, writer-producer Simon Kinberg says production is eyeing a spring 2017 start date.

That Hashtag Show caught up with Kinberg at the 2016 Saturn Awards on a number of superhero films. Kinberg said of Gambit, “We have a great script on that and hope to shoot that movie at the beginning — or spring — of next year.”

Kinberg also revealed that Deadpool 2 is looking to start shooting at the beginning of 2017, and he’s planning to start writing the next installment of the core X-Men films “real soon.” See his full statements in the video below.

Taylor Kitsch first played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but Tatum’s journey to take on the role has been plagued with delays.

Doug Liman replaced Rupert Wyatt as the film’s director, while Spectre‘s Léa Seydoux was offered the lead female role. Because of the delay — which pushed Gambit out of its release on Oct. 7, 2016 to an still undetermined time — Tatum went to work on the Magic Mike Live Las Vegas show and a new series called Iron Fisting. Liman, too, set his sights on directing Amazon’s The Wall during the interim.

Fox staked out a couple release dates for unannounced Marvel movies for March 2, 2018, and June 29, 2018.