Just three months after signing on to direct 20th Century Fox’s highly-anticipated superhero spinoffGambit, filmmakerRupert Wyattbacked out of the project two weeks ago. The departure was attributed to a shift in theGambitproduction schedule, which was supposed to begin in November, but was then changed to March 2016, which reportedly conflicted with an unspecified project. Today,The Hollywood Reporterclaims that the split happened because 20th Century Fox started questioning whether or not the filmmaker was truly committed to the project.
Ironically, just weeks beforeRupert Wyattsigned on this past June, a report surfaced that actor/producerChanning Tatumwas having trouble finding a director forGambit. He reportedly approached hisFoxcatcherdirectorBennett Miller, along withDarren Aronofsky(Noah),Gareth Evans(The Raid: Redemption) andJ.C. Chandor(A Most Violent Year). All of those filmmakers passed on the project. But even afterRupert Wyattsigned on, there were signs of trouble. A rumor from July claimed thatChanning Tatumwas getting ready to walk away from the movie altogether, because his deal was falling apart. Just a few days later, the actor finalized his deal, which includes appearances in futureX-Menmovies.
AfterRupert Wyatt’s directorial debutThe Escapist, a little-seen indie that grossed just $388,000 worldwide, the filmmaker was entrusted with the massive filmRise of the Planet of the Apes, which became an international hit to the tune of $481.8 million worldwide. The director’s meteoric rise helped start a trend of Hollywood giving massive properties to filmmakers without experience working within the studio system. Unproven filmmakers such asGareth Edwards(Godzilla) andColin Trevorrow(Jurassic World) were plucked from obscurity to deliver massive blockbusters, but this practice can also backfire, as proven withJosh Trank(Fantastic Four).
In between that project and his eventual follow-upThe Gambler,Rupert Wyattpassed onDawn of the Planet of the Apes, an untitled Warner Bros. project aboutAlexander Litvinenko, a former Russian secret service agent who defected from the country, andThe Equalizer. Some in the industry are questioning whether or notRupert Wyatthas the skills (or the desire) necessary to navigate the studio system. The filmmaker reportedly wanted to re-conceive the entire world thatGambitinhabits, but those ideas weren’t well-received by the studio and producers alike, which includeChanning TatumandSimon Kinberg.The Hollywood Reporterclaims that onGambit(and the other projects he’s left), the filmmaker couldn’t convince the studio to embrace his vision, causing anxiety to mount and, eventually, the director parting ways. Here’s what the director’s agent, UTA’sBrian Swardstrom, had to say about his client’s tendency to leave projects.
“It’s not necessarily acrimonious. The studios, with these big movies, have very specific visions of what they want. They don’t necessarily want an auteur who’s going to try to reinvent the franchise. Of course the studios would love it if a director did what they want, when they want, but it doesn’t always work out. Many have ended up in director’s jail when they didn’t walk away, and perhaps they should have.”
Channing Tatumremains committed toGambit, and is currently trying to find a new filmmaker in hopes of making the October 7, 2016release date.Rupert Wyattis currently developing a project entitledGoliathat Paramount Pictures, based on a script that he wrote himself. We’ll keep you posted ifGambitmanages to find a director soon, but until then, what do you think aboutRupert WyattleavingGambit?
