In news that is sure to saddenGambitfans even more than they are already are, prospective director Reid Carolin has described their idea for the movie as resembling the tone ofDeadpool. In a discussion withVariety, Carolin confirmed that theGambitmovie would have followed theDeadpooltrend of being R-rated, as well as centering the comic book movie on a rom-com style relationship.
“We wanted to make a romantic comedy superhero movie. The thesis was the only thing harder than saving the world is making a relationship work.”
The proposedGambitmovie is one of the most highly publicized projects to never receive the green light. The intention was forChanning Tatumto star as the titular mutant, a fan-favorite member ofThe X-Menwho possesses the ability to mentally create, control, and manipulate pure kinetic energy to his desire. Essentially, he can make anything he touches explode, opting to use playing cards as his weapon of choice.
Carolin continued, revealing how close he and Tatum got to getting theGambitmovie off the ground. “We were right on the one-yard line,” Carolin said. “We had cast the film. We’d opened up a production office. We were on our way to shoot in New Orleans.” Unfortunately, things were brought to a grinding halt following Disney’s merger with Fox back in 2019. “Disney had just gotten the ‘X-Men’ from Fox,” Carolin explained. “I think they needed to redesign the ‘X-Men’ from the ground up.”
Not Making Gambit Has Left Channing Tatum Traumatized
Gambithas exploded onto the big screen before, played by Taylor Kitsch in the much-malignedX-Men Origins: Wolverinefrom 2009. While Kitsch was fairly well-received in the role, the movie itself received mixed reviews from critics, with many taking issues with how the story depicted Deadpool. In fact, Ryan Reynold’s standaloneDeadpoolmovies poked fun at this iteration of the character in a meta touch thatGambitmay have imitated.
Sadly,Gambitfans will never see this version of the movie come to fruition,and the experience has left Channing Tatum “traumatized.”The actor had been linked to the role for some time and was left devastated when everything came crashing down. “I shut off my Marvel machine,” the actor said. “I haven’t been able to see any of the movies. I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him.”
In recent years, Tatum has demonstrated his affinity for comedy with the likes of21 Jump StreetandFree Guy, and this would no doubt have come in very handy had thisDeadpool-styleGambitmovie ever come to life. The actor will continue to stretch his comedy muscles in both his upcoming projects, beginning withDog, which is due for release on July 22, 2025. The following month, Tatum will team up with Sandra Bullock for the romantic adventure comedyThe Lost City, which finds the pair kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes that they can lead him to an ancient lost city’s treasure.
