What Happened To Channing Tatum’s X-Men Movie Gambit From Nearly A Decade Ago? Explored

As a dedicated fan of Channing Tatum and his long-awaited portrayal of Gambit, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement, frustration, and relief after finally seeing him make an appearance in “Deadpool & Wolverine.” For over a decade, we’ve waited for Tatum to bring the beloved X-Men character to life on the big screen. But, as the author of this article so eloquently described, the journey to get here was filled with numerous setbacks and false starts.


Ten years after initially being chosen for the role, Channing Tatum had the opportunity to bring Gambit to life on-screen during a surprising appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine’s film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (2024).

Years ago, Taylor Kitsch portrayed the character in a production. But when Channing Tatum took the lead for a standalone project centered around the character at Fox in 2014, the project encountered numerous setbacks during its development process.

Here’s what happened to Channing Tatum’s Gambit movie from a decade ago

In 2014, it was revealed that Channing Tatum would star in a standalone Gambit film. Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of the X-Men franchise, shared her enthusiasm with Total Film about Tatum’s casting, stating, “Tatum is a great fit for Gambit. He’s got that charming rogue quality, just like Remy LeBeau.” Similarly, Tatum expressed his excitement to MTV, commenting, “Gambit is the only X-Men character I’ve always been drawn to.”

In 2023, Channing Tatum expressed his disappointment over the reason why his Gambit film didn’t materialize. At the time, Fox had numerous X-Men projects in progress when Disney acquired the company, leading Marvel’s Kevin Feige to supervise all X-Men productions. According to Tatum, “Gambit was absorbed” by Disney. He shared that his team occasionally talked with Marvel about reviving the project, but eventually, Tatum chose to relinquish it spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

According to Screenrant, Rupert Wyatt, the director of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was hired by 20th Century Fox in 2015 to direct Channing Tatum’s Gambit film. Léa Seydoux was slated to portray Bella Donna Boudreaux, who is Romani-Jewish stripper and love interest of Remy LeBeau in the comic books. However, Wyatt eventually left the project.

Following Wyatt, Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s Doug Liman became involved in the project, but he too ended up following a similar path. Subsequently, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise director Gore Verbinski signed on, but eventually left as well.

In summary: In the new Deadpool film released on July 26, both Gambit and Tatum received less screen time than expected. Despite this limitation, Tatum effectively utilized his appearance in the Deadpool and Wolverine scene. Feel free to explore his cameo further below, or depart if spoilers pose an issue for you.

The actor seemed to relish his role in the movie, with his portrayal of Gambit featuring an intricately designed costume from illustrations and a thick Cajun accent typical of Remy. Channing Tatum brought numerous witty lines to life, several of which were humorous jabs at a previously abandoned production.

Towards the finale of the movie, Deadpool requests that the TVA (Temporal Variance Authority) retrieve the remaining members of the Resistance from The Void. However, Gambit is absent from the main storyline, implying an uncertain future for his character in Marvel’s upcoming projects.

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2024-07-26 15:08