Channing Tatum “Prays to God” For a Standalone Gambit Movie: “It’s in Bob Iger and Kevin Feige’s hands”
Channing Tatum is best known for his roles in ‘Magic Mike,’ ‘Step Up,’ and ’21 Jump Street,’ but he recently made his MCU debut as Gambit, one of the most iconic X-Men—a role he’s been eager to play for nearly a decade.
Tatum is a devoted Gambit fan, and even Ryan Reynolds remarked in a recent social media post that “Remy LeBeau is grafted to his soul.” Whether you loved or hated Tatum’s portrayal of Gambit, there’s no denying that the time to push for a standalone movie is now, especially with mutants officially introduced to the MCU in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and a live-action X-Men reboot on the way.
Channing Tatum and Gambit share a long history. Tatum, along with his longtime collaborator and producer Reid Carolin, developed a concept they wanted to pitch to 21st Century Fox—a standalone Gambit movie envisioned with the same raunchy humor as Deadpool.
Although the 21st Century Fox team liked the idea, they were hesitant to greenlight the project if Carolin or Tatum were directing. Tatum reflected on this in a Variety interview, saying,
They wanted anybody but us, essentially, because we had never directed anything.
Tatum became so passionate about the project that he agreed to let someone else direct the movie.
The release date was set for March 2020, but in 2017, Fox and Disney announced their merger, with Disney taking over key assets from 21st Century Fox, including their film and television studios, networks, and various company stakes.
Unfortunately, after the merger, the Gambit movie was one of the first projects to be canceled. This left Tatum devastated, and he lost interest in considering other potential Marvel roles. He shared his feelings with Variety, saying,
Once Gambit went away, I was so traumatized… I shut off my Marvel machine. 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.
So, what’s next for Tatum now that he’s finally brought Gambit to the big screen? According to the actor, it’s all about hope and prayers. In a recent interview with Variety, Tatum shared that he’s had discussions with executives at Disney and Marvel Studios, and now, all that’s left to do is pray.
I sure hope so. From your mouth to God’s ears. Write it into existence, my friend. Please. […] I’ve course I’ve said it. I’ve been saying I want it for the last 10 years. It’s in Bob Iger and Kevin Feige’s hands. I pray to God.
Tatum recently took to Instagram to thank Reynolds for supporting him in the industry and helping bring Gambit to life:
These pictures are almost 10 years apart to the day. I sat in the audience when Ryan showed his first peek of Deadpool 1 to the world and I think I ran back stage right after and found him and I think I just hugged him and was like holy shit you did it man. It’s perfect. I didn’t know him really at all back then. But since then I can say that there is almost no one that has had my back in this industry more than Ryan. I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy. Shawn Levy as well. Truly such a brilliant creator on every single level. All things happen for a reason. I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure bad ass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!! #deadpoolandwolverine
What are your thoughts on the potential for a Gambit movie? Share your opinions in the comments below!