Rupert Wyatt to direct Channing Tatum in ‘Gambit’

Rupert Wyatt is taking on the X-Men’s ragin’ Cajun.

The “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” filmmaker has come aboard to direct “Gambit,” 20th Century Fox’s superhero movie starring Channing Tatum as the titular mutant, a studio representative confirmed to The Times. Entertainment Weekly first reported the news.

Set for release Oct. 7, 2016, “Gambit” will mark the first standalone movie for the “X-Men” character also known as Remy LeBeau, a New Orleans-born rogue who has the power to charge inanimate objects (usually playing cards) with explosive energy. Taylor Kitsch previously played the character in a supporting role in 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

For director Wyatt, “Gambit” represents a return to tent-pole moviemaking and a reunion with Fox, for whom he successfully rebooted the “Planet of the Apes” franchise in 2011.

Although “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was a critical and commercial hit, Wyatt and the studio disagreed on how to tackle the sequel, prompting him to part ways with the project (twice, actually). Wyatt went on to make the existential drama “The Gambler” with Mark Wahlberg and Paramount Pictures last year.

Fox, meanwhile, has been busy fleshing out its “X-Men” franchise with traditional sequels like “X-Men: Apocalypse” and standalone spinoffs such as “Gambit” and “Deadpool.”

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