Fox Hits a Big Snag With GAMBIT and Loses Director Rupert Wyatt Due to Production Delay



Just over a month after Fox was piled on with bad press for their FANTASTIC FOUR reboot, another one of their Marvel films has hit a snag. Deadline has confirmed GAMBIT director Rupert Wyatt has left the movie due to scheduling because of a production delay.

The Hollywood trade site wrote the following along with a statement by Wyatt confirming he has left GAMBIT:

"Rupert Wyatt has in fact exited Gambit. There are rumors that there was some disagreement over script and budget, but the director’s camp says it came down to timing. The film was supposed to start in November, and it moved to March, clashing with another commitment, though they wouldn’t say what the other film is. Wyatt issued this statement: '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.'"

Originally, GAMBIT was supposed to shoot this fall in Louisiana with a reported $154 million budget. It was curious as to why the budget was so high and according to this report it seems that some higher ups at Fox weren't a fan of the high budget number, too. Especially when you compare THE WOLVERINE which only had a budget of $120 million and who is by far a more bankable and popular X-Men character.

It seems like there's no reason to hit the panic button with GAMBIT just yet, but it's not highly doubtful the movie will be released on October 7, 2016. Expect a release date delay to be announced by the studio soon and there's a good chance it could push FANTASTIC FOUR 2 out of its June 9, 2017 date. Stay tuned because this is a developing story...