New X-Men spinoff Gambit is reportedly set on a concrete shooting schedule that will begin early next year. Marvel and Twentieth Century Fox have a big slate of movies related to the X-Men universe (but not necessarily interconnected) due out in the next two years, including the highly anticipated Deadpool 2, as well as X-Men: Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants. Gambit finally looks to be getting off the ground with Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) aboard as director and Channing Tatum tabbed to star as the title character.

The movie also made another big casting decision in recent days, with Lizzie Caplan joining Tatum as the female lead. However, it's still unclear which character Caplan could be playing and there are still many key roles left to fill, including those in the forms of Bella Donna and rumored villain Candra (assuming Caplan is already playing one of them). Despite the amount of pre-production work that has yet to be complete, filming for Gambit is expected to start early next year - and now there's a defined schedule in place.

Omega Underground has been at the forefront of reporting on the Gambit spinoff, and they've got the latest scoop on the movie's expected filming schedule. A source close to the film tells them that they expect to begin shooting in February with the goal of wrapping sometime in July. The report acknowledges that the dates could still change, but it's a strong indicator that the movie will not suffer another delay and will remain on track for its planned release date of Valentine's Day in 2019.

The report also speculates that much of the filming for Gambit will take place at Big Easy Studios in New Orleans. Crews have been scouting locations in the city and James Mangold's Logan was filmed at the studio, making it a logical destination for Verbinski & Co.

This is certainly welcome news for Gambit fans who have been tortured by delays and uncertainty surrounding the production. At the very least, Verbinski and producer Simon Kinberg have goals in place for getting the spinoff filmed and keeping it on schedule for February 2019. If the reports are accurate, then you can expect a flurry of major casting decisions in the coming weeks.

Caplan's addition should be able to get the ball rolling, but the cast beyond her and Tatum remains the biggest question mark surrounding the movie. Daniel Craig has been rumored to play the film's villain and James Franco has been linked to the potential appearance of Jamie Madrox, a.k.a. Multiple Man. Still, the knowledge that production on Gambit is set to start in February should at least make fans confident that the movie is finally, actually, about to be made.

MORE: James Franco Starring in Multiple Man Spinoff

Source: Omega Underground

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