We previously reported a potent tubulin inhibitor CH-2-77. In this study, we optimized the structure of CH-2-77 by blocking metabolically labile sites and synthesized a series of CH-2-77 analogues. Two compounds, <b>40a</b> and <b>60c</b>, preserved the potency while improving the metabolic stability over CH-2-77 by 3- to 4-fold (46.8 and 29.4 vs 10.8 min in human microsomes). We determined the high-resolution X-ray crystal structures of <b>40a</b> (resolution 2.3 Å) and <b>60c</b> (resolution 2.6 Å) in complex with tubulin and confirmed their direct binding at the colchicine-binding site. <i>In vitro</i>, <b>60c</b> maintained its mode of action by inhibiting tubulin polymerization and was effective against P-glycoprotein-mediated multiple drug resistance and taxol resistance. <i>In vivo</i>, <b>60c</b> exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis in a taxol-resistant A375/TxR xenograft model without obvious toxicity. Collectively, this work showed that <b>60c</b> is a promising lead compound for further development as a potential anticancer agent.