One thing Channing Tatum won't have to worry about is running out of projects to take on. He can pretty much do whatever he wants right now, having proven himself a success in just about every genre, and he's even made some moves as a writer and producer through his Magic Mike films. Surprisingly, the one area Tatum seems to be having trouble is in the field of superhero movies, like his upcoming solo Gambit film.
According to Umberto Gonzalez and the Meet the Movie Press podcast (via ScreenCrush), Tatum and 20th Century Fox are having trouble finding a director for Gambit, an X-Men spinoff centered on the Cajun mutant thief. Bennett Miller, who directed Tatum in Foxcatcher, Gareth Evans (The Raid), Darren Aronofsky (Noah), and J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) have all turned down offers to direct it. The interesting thing is that Aronofsky was once on board to direct The Wolverine before backing out due to personal reasons. Fox needs to get moving on this soon. They already have a completed script by Josh Zetumer, and a release date in October 2016. Tatum has definitely been wildly enthusiastic about the film, so maybe that energy he has for it will lure a high-profile filmmaker in. Otherwise, they may have to go with a lesser name.
Meanwhile, Tatum has landed a dramatic role in Two Kisses for Maddy, a film he'll produce and star in based on the memoir by Matthew Logelin. Penned by Dana Stevens (Safe Haven), the film centers on Matt, a loving husband whose wife dies literally hours after giving birth to their first child, Madeline. Devastated by grief and the sudden responsibility of being a single father, Matt pushes through it all in order to create a life for Maddy.
No word on when that one will shoot, and like Gambit it needs to find a director first. [TheTrackingBoard]
