One of the longest casting sagas for superhero films is on Channing Tatum's role for Gambit. In 2014, Entertainment Weekly reports that the "Magic Mike" actor is in negotiation to be part of the X-Men films as a savvy, card-throwing Gambit.
And even though it was eventually confirmed that he'll play the role of the popular superhero, it was also reported by the Guardian that he might drop out due to scheduling conflicts and other projects.
But it looks like that the film would finally get on track for actual filming. According to Screen Rant, "the latest reports on the matter indicate that Gambit remains on course to start principal photography in early Spring 2016."
This is a good news/bad news scenario for the superhero movie fans. Good news is the fact that the film will finally start and all the rumors about casting changes will come to rest. The bad news is the fact that the film will not make the October 2016 release date.
Aside from the early reports of the delay due to Tatum's possible schedule conflicts, the movie also hit a snag when it lost its original director.
According to Den of Geek, Rupert Wyatt left the project and was replaced by Doug Lineman. The replacement was only announced before the end of 2015 so it will be a production nightmare for Lineman, not to mention jeopardizing the film's quality, when everything has to be ready by October 2016.
For the plot, the movie is reportedly a different kind of beast. Simon Kinberg, the movie's producer, revealed to Collider that "Gambit will have its own different flavor and tone to it, will be more of like a heist movie and a sexy thriller in a way."
The movie will be part of the increasing universe of "X-Men" but should be pushing for a unique perspective of a superhero.