Fox has tapped Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) to direct the X-Men spinoff Gambit, built around the character of the same name. Channing Tatum (Magic Mike XXL) will star as the cajun, card-slinging mutant.
Along with directing the film that rebooted the Planet of the Apes series, Wyatt is also known for directing last year’s The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg (Ted 2). Wyatt is currently working on the upcoming sci-fi television series Echo Chamber. He also directed the pilot episode for AMC’s Turn: Washington’s Spies.
Tatum announced the film’s October 7, 2016 release date via his Twitter account back in January. He’ll replace Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor), who played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Fox is currently expanding the X-Men franchise with Bryan Singer (Valkyrie) filming X-Men: Apocalypse, which hits theaters next year. They are also making another spinoff, X-Men: The New Mutants.
There has been no word on when production will start on the film, though now that they have a director, Fox will likely start production soon to make that October 7, 2016 release date.