'X-Men' spin-off ‘Gambit’ is still looking for a director; Channing Tatum woos Doug Ligman

Gambit is one of the few mutants in the comics that will get a solo film aside from Deadpool. While Channing Tatum remains committed to the project, the director’s chair is still open but the 2016 release plan looks bleak.

According to Heroic Hollywood, three directors are competing for the job.

On Sunday, The Wrap insider Jeff Sneider twitted that Tatum is courting the director of “Edge of Tomorrow” Doug Ligman to direct the upcoming film. Nothing is cast in stone as of now but there are other directors interested on the project.

Enters Joe Cornish and Shane Black. These two are no stranger to superhero films having worked in “Ant-Man” and “Iron: Man 3 respectively.”

This could be Cornish’s big break to expand his portfolio in mainstream filmmaking if he gets picked. He is credited as a writer in “Ant-Man” but has limited experience as director with only one film under his belt. However, he makes a strong case for himself in directing the indie smash hit “Attack the Block” which starred “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” actor John Boyega.

Black on the other hand is already an accomplished screenwriter who made his mark in "Lethal Weapon" and is successful in directing a billion grossing franchise, “Iron Man 3.” He is also slated to direct Fox’s “Predator.”

After Rupert Wyatt left the project, “Gambit” pushed back its production date to March 2016 which makes the October 16, 2016 release date look bleak.

For the uninitiated, Gambit is a fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee and artist Mike Collins. The character has the ability to manipulate kinetic energy to his will and is skilled in card throwing and hand-to-hand combat. He mainly uses cards as weapon by making them explosive projectiles.

The film set to be released by Fox will be part of the “X-Men” universe.

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