Marvel Superhero Movie Gambit Loses Director

Fox's film adaptation of Marvel's Gambit, which is due to start shooting early next year, has lost its director. Rupert Wyatt was set to direct the Channing Tatum-starring superhero movie, but now Deadline has confirmed that he has left the project.

Production on the film had already shifted from November this year to March 2016, and now Fox will be looking for another director. Wyatt--best known for bringing the Planet of the Apes franchise back to life with 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes--blamed his exit on scheduling conflicts. A statement reads:

"I was very much looking forward to working with my friend Channing and the team at Fox, but regrettably a push in the start date now conflicts with another project. I thank them for the opportunity, and I know that Gambit will make a terrific film."

Deadline did suggest that there have been ongoing disagreements over both the script and budget for the movie, but these remain rumours at this time.

Gambit is one of the Marvel properties owned by Fox, together with the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool. Like Deadpool, Gambit is a character spun off from the X-Men, first appearing in a 1990 issue of The Uncanny X-Men.

The character appeared briefly in 2009's critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch. But last month, after months of speculation, it was confirmed that 21 Jump Street star Tatum had signed on for the role. The film is scheduled for release on October 7, 2016--at least for now--and will follow Deadpool on February 12 and X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27.