Will Channing Tatum's 'Gambit' Move Forward After Losing Its Director?

“Gambit,” the “X-Men” spin-off starring Channing Tatum, has faced another slump.

Director Doug Liman (“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), has left the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The director has reportedly signed on to direct the Justice League dark movie, “Dark Universe.”

While that's sad news, fans can still expect to see their favorite character on the big screen as 20th Century Fox is bent on sticking to its Jan. 2017 filming schedule. The exit was reportedly amicable, and the studio is already searching for a replacement. Liman took over for Rupert Wyatt, who first signed on to helm the film in October 2015.

The movie has hurdled a lot of bumps. It was first scheduled to film in 2015 before it was moved to early 2016. Now, it's set for a 2017 schedule after a number of script rewrites.

Despite all the problems, Tatum remains hopeful about his debut as a Marvel hero. When Liman was hired to direct the film, Tatum said in a Reddit AMA session that he was ecstatic about having the director on board the project. Tatum also said that he has already started developing an accent for his character.

Speaking with Collider, the actor shared how he creates a unique voice for a character. He said that he usually looks for a real person to copy and from there, he'd study the accent.

Producer Reid Carolin also teased that Gambit might be featured in other Marvel films after he makes his debut.

“This is a standalone movie and it's the story of Gambit,” Carolin said. “And we'll probably integrate that character into the 'X-Men' universe as we go. As far as what characters from the 'X-Men' universe make it into the movie – we're not exactly sure yet, so we're figuring it out. It's still at the script stage … It's his story in New Orleans.”

A release date for the “Gambit” movie has yet to be announced, though it was first slated for release in October 2016.