There’s been a lot of drama surrounding 20th Century Fox’s Marvel solo spin-off film “Gambit” these past few months. The film’s director, Rupert Wyatt, dropped out close to the production start date, and then star Channing Tatum was also getting ready to walk at one point. While a replacement director was eventually found after lots of back and forth (“The Bourne Identity” helmer Doug Liman landed the gig), what seemed abundantly clear to even the dimmest armchair pundit was that there was no way “Gambit” would be making its proposed October 7, 2016 release date. Today that news has been confirmed.
READ MORE: Doug Liman Beats Joe Cornish, Shane Black, And F. Gary Gray To Direct ‘Gambit’
Box office.com has reported several new release dates for Fox pictures. No new date has been set for “Gambit,” but considering it has yet to shoot, clearly it’s coming sometime in 2017 at the earliest (if it’s not being reworked as we speak and taking even longer).
Perhaps most exciting for rabid comic-book fans, Fox has added dates for two untitled Fox/Marvel mystery films. The first one is set to arrive October 6, 2017 (essentially the same “Gambit” date, one year later, and its now the former date of “Alien: Covenant”) and another on January 12, 2018. What could they be? Well, the “Gambit” one seems obvious, and now that “Deadpool” has become its own franchise according to its writers, it’s conceivable that a sequel or some spin-off (like “X-Force”) could be coming on that early January date. Yes, January is normally a dumping ground, but it’s still a season Hollywood is trying to transform into a viable new release frame (see the “Blade Runner” sequel that arrives one week earlier in 2018). We’ll see if that one sticks though.
20th Century Fox also unveiled new dates for the Shane Black “Predator” do-over (March 2, 2018) and adjusted the date for Ridley Scott’s “Alien: Covenant,” which will now arrive on August 4, 2017 (Billy Crudup is the latest name to join the cast). Black’s film will face off against the as-of-now still untitled WB Event Film.
A few other dates have been shuffled around too. Tim Burton’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” now arrives September 30, 2016 (up against “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and “Snowden”) and “The Mountains Between Us” starring Idris Elba has been pulled from its February 10, 2017 bow and is currently without a release date.
Fox’s GAMBIT is no longer scheduled for October 7, 2016 and is currently without a release date.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
Fox will now release ALIEN: COVENANT on August 4, 2017.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
Fox will now release MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN on September 30, 2016.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
Fox has scheduled an UNTITLED FOX/MARVEL FILM for release on October 6, 2017.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
Fox has scheduled an UNTITLED FOX/MARVEL FILM for release on January 12, 2018.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
Fox’s THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US is no longer scheduled for February 10, 2017 and is currently without a release date.
— BoxOffice (@BoxOffice) February 28, 2016
