It looks likeGambitis going to be a potentially very expensive movie. Despite some uncertainty, now that Disney is officially purchasing most of 21st Century Fox, it looks like Channing Tatum’s long-gestatingX-Menspin-off is stillgoing into production this Marchand won’t be tabled as a result of the Disney merger. One of the last superhero movies being made before Fox folds into the Mouse House is possibly going to be one of the more expensive ones the studio has made, if some newly revealed budget details are to be believed.
According to a new report, it looks likeGambitmay cost $155 million to make. The shoot is said to last for 10 weeks inNew Orleansand will start this March. $155 million is incredibly expensive, especially for a character that hasn’t yet proved to have appeal for wider audiences. Though,Gambithas been a fan-favorite character toX-Menfans for quite some time. And, not for nothing, butChanning Tatumdoes have a reasonable amount of star power. Still, as we’ve seen in recent years, stars can’t sell movies like they used to. And with a budget like that,Gambitwould have to make a ton of money to justify that kind of production cost.
Interestingly enough, part of the problem in gettingGambitoff the ground originally had to do with the high production budget. At the time, Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) was attached to direct. The movie seemed to be close to production, but thenDeadpoolhappened.Deadpoolhad a budget of around $57 million and wound up being one of the highest-grossing movies of 2016. That made Fox rethink their strategy and that strategy changed even further with the success ofLoganearlier this year. Even Channing Tatum has said those movies allowedGambitto do things they couldn’t do previously, but it also seemed like maybe the budget would come down as a result. Maybe not.
Another thing to consider is that Gore Verbinski has been tapped to direct. The man directed threePirates of the Caribbeanmovies andThe Lone Ranger. Even his smaller movies, likeA Cure for Wellness, are big for what they are. Point being, he has very expensive tastes as a director and makes things on a pretty big scale. So, given that he was brought on board, it indicatesGambitcould still be anexpensive, massive movie. No plot details have officially been revealed, but we’ve heard it could be a heist movie, alaOcean’s Eleven, but withX-Menin it.
Gambit also stars Lizzy Caplanas the female lead and is set for release on August 18, 2025. And according to this new report from Omega Underground, Fox, and by that time Disney, will need it to be a big hit at the box office. No pressure, Channing Tatum. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as more details on the project are made available.
