Although many fans were disappointed earlier this year when Fox's much-discussed "Gambit" film was pulled from October release, executive producer Simon Kinberg assures the move was made for all the right reasons.

"We've gotta get the script right," he told Flickering Myth while promoting "X-Men: Apocalypse." "We just didn't get the script to the place that we all felt like that movie deserved, so we're still working on the script -- we're very close, actually, to being done with the script."

Kinberg added the goal is for the film to begin production by the end of this year or the beginning of next, once there's an opening in star Channing Tatum's schedule.

"I think one of the things that I've learned on all of these movies -- and maybe the lesson was best learned for me on 'Deadpool' -- is the most important thing is getting the tone and the voice right," he said. "That the storytelling, the actual plots, are sort of interchangeable and disposable, ultimately. If I ask you what your favorite movies are, you're not going to tell me the plot, you're going to tell me you love this character, and so what we've really tried to do with 'Gambit' is make sure we get the voice of that character right, and the tone of the comics 100 percent on the page."

"There was a moment where we were going to shoot the movie at the beginning of this year, and then we felt it just wasn't ready," Kinberg continued. "So, knowing -- hoping -- that 'Gambit' is, like 'Deadpool' was, the start of a new franchise within the X-Men universe, we want to make sure to get it right."

Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity," "Edge of Tomorrow") was at one point attached to direct, but reportedly boarded another project amid the "Gambit" delays. It's unclear whether he'll still be involved with the adaptation.