The X-Men franchise continues to grow, with The New Mutants, Deadpool 2, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix all expected in the next couple of years. But there is one X-Men spinoff that hasn't been quite as lucky, and that is the much-delayed Gambit. Now producer Hutch Parker has confirmed that the studio still plans to make the movie.

　　In an interview with ScreenRant, Parker was asked about whether Gambit would actually happen, given there were so many other X-Men movies set to hit screens. "It is [still part of our plans]," he said. "I don't have any news on that but there's still a desire and a passionate interest to see that movie made."

　　This comment follows those made recently by director Doug Liman, who was at one stage attached to the movie. "It’s a crowded field of superhero films so the challenge for Gambit or any of those other movies is finding its unique space and its unique take," he told IGN."But, yeah, I think Simon Kinberg, who is producing it, is a great producer and he'll create something great out of it."

　　While both of these comments are positive, they don't suggest that the movie is going to happen any time soon. Gambit was originally scheduled for release in October 2016, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt as director. He left the film in September 2015, citing citing scheduling conflicts. However, a story in Deadline at the time suggested that there had been ongoing disagreements over both the script and budget.

　　Liman subsequently joined the movie, with production rescheduled for spring 2016. That also failed to commence, with the start date moved to end of the 2016 to allow time for further rewrites, and then to spring 2017, neither of which happened. Liman quit in August last year, and it is now without a director.

　　If it happens, Gambit is set to star Channing Tatum as the card-throwing superhero of the title. Like Deadpool, Gambit is a character spun off from the X-Men, first appearing in a 1990 issue of The Uncanny X-Men. He appeared briefly in 2009's critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch.