Earlier this week, there was a report that Channing Tatum was pulling out of the X-Men spinoff film, Gambit despite several years of personally lobbying for the movie to happen. There was even speculation that the entire Gambit film could be canceled because of Tatum’s departure.
But now, “everyone can relax… Gambit has arrived.â€
Tatum has closed his deal with Fox to portray the title character in Gambit. It seems that there was some truth to the report that Tatum and Fox hit a rough patch in negotiations. The sticking points appear to have been Tatum’s backend compensation and the length of his tenure as Gambit. Fox is said to view Gambit as “one of the anchor characters of the X-universe, akin to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, someone who would anchor his own movies and appear in numerous others.†That’s a commitment that could last a decade or more.
However, Tatum’s participation in Gambit was reportedly never in doubt by the studio itself. Tatum has been so enthusiastic about the opportunity to play Gambit that he even made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con International’s X-Men: Apocalypse and Deadpool panel last month.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt is slated to direct the Gambit movie. X-Men legend and Gambit co-creator, Chris Claremont wrote the treatment for the film, which Josh Zetumer adapted into a screenplay.
Exactly how closely the movie will stick to Gambit’s comic book origins remains to be seen. A recently leaked list of potential characters didn’t seem to match Gambit’s comic book supporting cast from his earliest stories. But it’s entirely possible that Zetumer and Claremont retained some of those elements for the script.
Gambit will be released in theaters on October 7, 2016. Production is expected to begin this fall.
X-Men fans, which characters do you want to see appear alongside Tatum’s Gambit? Charge your opinions with kinetic energy and unleash them in the comment section below!
