Hell on Wheels star Anson Mount is the latest actor to jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though unfortunately, it’s been via a project that’s widely criticized as being one of the studio’s most disappointing efforts ever. We are, of course, talking about Inhumans.
Premiering in IMAX theatres earlier this month and on ABC last night, the reception has been poor, to say the least. Granted, ratings weren’t catastrophic and there are some who believe that it’s still worth giving the show a chance, but right now, things certainly aren’t looking too good for the Royal Family.
Mount plays Black Bolt on Inhumans and given that the character doesn’t speak, it’s an interesting role for the actor. However, if he’d had his way earlier on, we may have seen him as a very different Marvel hero. That’s because originally, Mount wanted to bring Gambit to life.
Speaking to Comic Book Resources in a recent interview, the actor revealed that he was hoping to snag the role of the beloved X-Men character before Channing Tatum stepped in:
I wanted to be Gambit for a really long time, and then Channing Tatum ruined that for me! But I think he’s gonna do a great job.
Mount doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings here, though with how poorly Inhumans has been received, he’s also probably not particularly pleased with how his Marvel debut’s gone so far. That being said, it’s far from the actor’s fault that the show is bombing and besides, it’s not like there’s even any guarantee that the Gambit movie will ever get off the ground.
As you no doubt know, it’s been languishing in development hell for so many years now that it’s starting to look like it’ll never come to fruition. With that in mind, perhaps Mount didn’t really lose out after all? Besides, there’s still time for Inhumans to turn things around. Those first two episodes may have been more than a little rough, but with six outings left to go, the show could end up surprising us.
Is that likely to happen? Probably not. But this writer is, at the very least, still willing to tune in next week to give it another shot. On that note, if you want a taste of what’s to come, be sure to check out the promo below.