Will we ever get that Gambit Marvel movie? The spin-off X-Men movie has been in and out of development more times than the X-timeline’s been rebooted. Channing Tatum, who’s long been attached to star in the project, still asks about it, even though he knows odds are slim.
“It got swallowed up into Disney by way of Marvel when they bought Fox,” he tells Vanity Fair. “Ultimately I just think that the tone of the movie we wanted to make was very far from what they wanted to do – or, you know, maybe they’re waiting to see how they do it with us or without us.”
While some conversations are happening, Tatum believes the best thing anyone can do is just forget about the superhero movie. “We call every once in a while, but we’ve got to spiritually, emotionally, kind of mentally let it go,” he adds.
To give you a sense of the road so far, Gambit has been in development in one form or another for over 20 years. The X-Men character was due to be in 2003’s X2 originally, in a scene that didn’t survive the edit.
Tatum was then drafted for the role in X-Men: The Last Stand, but his star power made producers want to save him for something larger than a quick appearance. Scheduling blocked Tatum from being in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, probably the worst movie in the whole franchise, and now we’re here.
He’s been emphatic about Gambit, but it just doesn’t appear to be a priority, at least not right now in Marvel’s Phase 5. Who knows, he could get to voice Gambit in X-Men ’97, or Deadpool 3 might grant his wish. Until then, have a look at our Magic Mike’s Last Dance release date for when you can see Tatum’s new movie.