Warning! This article contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit by Fox many years ago, but despite several X-Men movies and other projects having come to life, Tatum’s solo Gambit film never came to be, and there is a reason why it was stuck in development hell. For many years, Gambit received the short end of the stick in live-action. The character was played by Taylor Kitsch in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The movie would go on to be one of the most criticized in the superhero genre, which affected Gambit’s reputation. Kitsch would never get the chance to reprise his Marvel hero.

However, Fox tried to give Gambit a second chance in live-action. Tatum was cast as Gambit to lead a solo movie as the mutant. Despite years of development, the Gambit movie would never become a reality. Future Marvel movies could finally do him justice, with Gambit likely to be a member of the MCU’s X-Men. Marvel Studios has already shown that it knows how to handle the hero well, as Disney+’s X-Men ’97 made Gambit one of its most important characters. That said, Marvel was also directly involved in Tatum’s Gambit movie never being made.

Channing Tatum Was Cast As Gambit 10 Years Ago

His Solo Movie Was Never Made

Ten years ago, Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit to lead a solo movie. At the time, the only X-Men spin-offs were Hugh Jackman’s first two Wolverine films, the first of which included Taylor Kitsch’s Gambit. 2014 was a huge year for the X-Men, with Tatum’s Gambit casting coming in the same year that X-Men: Days of Future Past was released. The film united multiple actors from the original Fox X-Men timeline with the younger generation of X-Men. Despite being cast in 2014, Tatum did not appear as Gambit in the movie, being saved for a solo film.

X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner spoke to Total Film, commenting on Tatum’s casting as Gambit at the premiere of X-Men: Days of Future Past. She was excited about the prospect of seeing Tatum give life to the mutant, saying, “He’s a rascal, just like Remy LeBeau… I think he’ll be great for Gambit.” Tatum himself had previously talked to MTV about his love for the character. The actor revealed that he felt connected to Gambit due to their shared southern origin. Tatum claimed he would die to play the hero, saying, “Gambit is the only X-Man I’ve ever loved.”

Why Channing Tatum’s Gambit Movie Never Got Made

Marvel Was Involved In That Outcome

In 2023, almost ten years after he was cast as the mutant, Tatum commented on why his Gambit movie was canceled. Fox had many X-Men projects in different stages of development when the studio was bought by Marvel Studios’ parent company, Disney. After the deal went through, Marvel’s Kevin Feige became responsible for developing stories for the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and all other characters whose rights came from Fox. Tatum’s Gambit movie was one of the projects Fox had in development that ended up falling through the cracks after the studio was bought by Disney.

Speaking of the situation, Tatum said, “It got swallowed up into Disney by way of Marvel when they bought Fox.” The actor noted that he thought his Gambit movie could have been canceled due to being very different from plans Marvel might have had for the character and the X-Men. The actor was sad to see his passion project fizzle out, with Tatum revealing that his team called Marvel “once in a while” about the possibility of getting the Gambit movie made, but the actor believed it was time to let the project go “spiritually, emotionally, [and] kind of mentally.”

Everything We Know About Channing Tatum’s Gambit Movie

The Movie Would Have Had An Intriguing Focus

Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt signed on to helm the Gambit movie in 2015 after Tatum approached multiple directors for the job. The movie was set to film in New Orleans, where Gambit was raised in the comics. Léa Seydoux was cast to star opposite Tatum in Gambit. The actress would have played Bella Donna Boudreaux. The character comes from Marvel Comics, where Bella grew up alongside Remy Lebeau, and the two characters even went on to marry so their opposing Thieves and Assassin Guilds could find peace before she went into a coma.

After Wyatt left the movie due to budget cuts, Fox brought in Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘s Doug Liman to direct the Gambit movie. Speaking to Collider, Gambit producer Simon Kinberg teased the tone of the movie, saying, “[It] will be more of like a heist movie and a sexy thriller in a way.” However, Liman would also depart the project. Pirates of the Caribbean franchise director Gore Verbinski then joined the project. Before Verbinski also left the Gambit movie, there were talks about Lizzy Caplan taking over as the film’s female lead and Lil Rel Howery appearing.

After more rewrites, Kinberg shared an update on the Gambit movie to IGN in 2018. According to the producer, Tatum’s Gambit would have been similar in tone to a romantic comedy, saying, “Gambit has a romantic or sex comedy vibe to it.” The idea was for every X-Men spin-off to have a distinct tone. Heist elements from the original version of the film would still play a role, but Gambit was described as “a love story between him and Bella.” Mister Sinister was set to appear in the Gambit movie as its villain. The film would have been R-rated.

Channing Tatum Finally Got To Play Gambit In Deadpool & Wolverine

The Actor Had The Time Of His Life In The Role

Ten years after he was first cast in the role, Tatum finally got his chance to play Gambit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Deadpool & Wolverine. The actor clearly had a lot of fun in the role, with his version of Gambit wearing a comic book-accurate suit, having Remy LeBeau’s Cajun accent, and being a member of the Resistance fighting Cassandra Nova and her army in the Void. Tatum delivered one of the most hilarious performances in the MCU movie, with the actor also showing that he could excel as Gambit in fighting scenes.

Many of Gambit’s lines were jokes about how Tatum had never gotten the chance to play Remy until Deadpool & Wolverine. At the end of the movie, Deadpool asks the TVA to get the surviving members of the Resistance out of the Void. While Tatum’s Gambit did not appear after that, Dafne Keen’s X-23 was seen having dinner with Wolverine, Deadpool, and the rest of Wade’s family and friends. As such, it seems like the TVA’s Hunter B-15 did what Deadpool asked. That could lead to Tatum playing Gambit again in the MCU, even if his solo movie never happens.