Channing Tatum tried really hard to get Gambit made, but the fates ended up conspiring against him before the project eventually fizzled out after years stuck in development hell when Disney completed their takeover of Fox. The Cajun mutant has been a firm fan favorite ever since he first debuted 30 years ago, but so far, his only live-action appearance came in the dismal X-Men Origins: Wolverine, with Taylor Kitsch donning the trenchcoat.
Gambit just hasn’t had much luck on the big screen so far, having been cut from X2, while Tatum was actually cast in the role for X-Men: The Last Stand after replacing first choice Josh Holloway, before the character was dropped altogether. Almost a decade later, though, the 21 Jump Street star was officially signed on to try and steer the standalone outing for the hero out of development hell.
Unfortunately, however, things didn’t improve from there, after Rupert Wyatt, Doug Liman and Gore Verbinski all signed on to direct between 2015 and 2018 before swiftly dropping out, with Liman’s eight-month flirtation with Gambit being the longest that any of them spent attached. There have been rumors that the movie could be resurrected at Marvel Studios, but we’ve now heard from our sources – the same ones that told us a She-Hulk show is coming to Disney Plus and Ben Affleck will be returning as Batman in The Flash – that though he’s likely too old for the role at this stage, there may still be a part for Channing Tatum to play in the MCU.
According to our intel, Kevin Feige is said to be entertaining the idea of having the Magic Mike star board the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a different character, not as Gambit. The role in question is unknown at this stage, but hopefully things will become clearer in the near future. For now, though, all we know is that Tatum has spoken to the studio about joining the franchise and with any luck, they’ll be able to find somewhere to fit him in.