The upcoming Gambit movie has taken another step closer to production, hiring an experienced stunt coordinator to handle a hero as athletic as the Ragin' Cajun. After years of lingering in development hell, Fox is finally moving forward on the spinoff, which secured a February 2019 release date recently.
Ever since Gambit’s on-screen debut fell flat in X-Men Origins: Wolverine fans have been hoping to see the staff-wielding mutant get a chance at redemption. With how well things have gone for Deadpool since his character got another chance, it definitely looks like lessons were learned from the mistakes of Wolverine. So the film finding its stunt coordinator is a good sign for the project moving forward.
Related: Gambit Hired Coen Brothers Production Designer
Omega Underground is reporting Thomas Robinson Harper has signed on to be Gambit's stunt coordinator. He previously worked with director Gore Verbinski on Disney's 2013 relaunch of The Lone Ranger. Harper has spent a lot of time working with superheroes, especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His other credits include Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2. Outside of the comic book genre, Robinson has also helped shape films like The Jungle Book and Pacific Rim Uprising. With a background like that, Gambit definitely sounds like it’s in some safe hands.
Fans are waiting anxiously to hear more about what actors will be involved in Gambit, but it is a good sign to see the movie is adding crew members with the kind of credibility Harper has. While the X-Men franchise has established itself as a money maker and a crowd pleaser by now, studio producers couldn’t be blamed for showing more trepidation when it comes to solo outings for the mutants. Deadpool was deemed a risky movie when it was made, but was a nice surprise hit. Outside of that project, films starring other mutants apart from Wolverine haven't been green lit with as much confidence. So the fact that the Gambit movie is moving forward at all is heartening to see the studio taking what could be a risk with a character the general public might not know as well.
Shooting for the movie is supposed to begin by this March, so more details should quickly begin surfacing about Gambit. In the meantime, other X-Men films will be doing their part to continue to attempt to bolster the brand, starting with Deadpool 2 this summer, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix during the holiday season.
MORE: Gambit Production Budget Is Reportedly $155 Million
Source: Omega Underground
