The speculation surrounding the casting of Remy LeBeau in the upcoming standalone Gambit movie has been as hot as a kinetic energy-charged Ace of Spades. Our sources say the movie is in the early concept stages of pre-production and things have only been getting steamier, as most of the rumors point to Channing Tatum to be the leading choice to play the Cajun card tosser. A recent quote by X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner in Empire‘s X-Men: Days of Future Past issue indicates this to be a strong possibility:
“I’m dying to do a Gambit movie with Channing Tatum. That doesn’t have to be a great big movie. It’s a thief in New Orleans, it’s a whole different story,” said Shuler. “He’s on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He’s such a sweetheart.â€
Tatum has been quite vocal about wanting to play Gambit, making it publicly known during a White House Down press conference last year. “I would like to play Gambit. Gambit’s my favorite,” said the star. “I’m from New Orleans, around that area. My dad’s from New Orleans, and I like to do a Cajun accent. I could do it for real.”
Tatum also made a point of giving former Gambit actor Taylor Kitsch his due. “No knock on Taylor Kitsch, though, ’cause I actually like his Gambit, but I’ve always lived around Cajun people. Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking guy. He was the punk rock of all the superheroes. He’s a thief. He kind of rode the line.â€
Likewise, Kitsch has praised Tatum, saying he’d “kill it” if he were to get the role. Keep in mind, he’s not a dead lock quite yet, as we’re simply reporting the wave of speculation, but if there’s an official announcement of Tatum receiving the role, don’t be surprised, especially how in-demand the actor is right now.
Who would you like to see filling the boots of Gambit? Toss your thoughts in the comments below.
norman reedus, theres your gambit. hes proved he can handle a laundry list of accents i mean christ, in boondock saints 1 he pulled off the irish accent so well i thought he was irish. plus, in the same movie he spoke like 3 other languages fluently. he can obviously pull off a red neck accent and he gets deep into his roles. ive seen images of tatums face photo shopped onto previous gambits. now ive never used photo shop so someone please photo shop that gambit cowell and magenta eyes on reedus’ face PLEASE? as im sure this will end the debate. tatums heart is in the right place and hes a fani get that but if hes as big a fan as he says he is he will step aside to see gambit finally done some justice
channing is… almost too muscular to pull off gambit. Josh holloway… i cant see it. I cant, but I would like to. He was great on lost. But, i just dont imagine he could do it.
David Wenham, the photo below is him as Delios from the movie 300.
http://itsonlybullets.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/006300_david_wenham_014.jpg
I think you’re all being too hard on ole Channing. Everything I’ve seen him in he’s been able to pull off quite well. He’s funny, that’s a plus. He’s built, total plus. He can do a Cajun accent, major pluses… and he loves and wants to do the role. +++++. He isn’t taking the role because it’ll bring him a paycheck. By the look of this, he knows the character and wants to play it. Actors and writers that love their characters will try to genuinely make a good movie. I’m a true Remy fan. I will keep curiously optimistic.
I think Timothy Olyphant would be an amazing Gambit.
No. Just… NO. He doesn’t remotely resemble Remy LeBeau. He’s a sub-par actor. Not particularly attractive, IMHO, and built like a bull. I’m sorry, Cajun accent or not, as a huge Gambit fan — I can’t [and do not want to] see Tatum playing the thief. I’ve seen this same conversation over and over again, for months. And, overwhelmingly, the response from the very demographic they’re trying to draw in /with/ Tatum is declaring he is NOT going to be acceptable.
Josh Halloway? Eeehh… maybe. Much better choice than Tatum, anyway. I would love to see Tom Mison play him, in all honesty. Great actor, does the sexy, suave and disheveled thing very well. He gets my vote.
I’ve even seen other Gambit fans [male and female] mention Andrew Lee Potts. Yes, I can also see him pulling Gambit off… save for perhaps his height. But, Hugh Jackman has given us a good Wolverine. So, I can overlook that. Gambit is a geek — he’s a Trekkie, people! — and Potts has that smexy, slightly geeky, rough n’ tumble thing down. And scads of boyish, playful charm. It was what I loved about him in “Alice”. His Hatter reminded me quite a bit of Gambit, actually. I really think he could do it, though the accent might be a bit… rough.
The only thing I really took issue with when Taylor Kitsch played him was the fact they couldn’t be arsed to CG his eyes. WTH? That made no sense to me, whatsoever. So… he couldn’t manage the Cajun accent. Okay, he at least gave us a New Orleanian one. I can live with that. And, had he been given a bigger, meatier part, I think he would have done the Ragin’ Cajun proud.
So, just… anybody BUT Channing Tatum.
norman reedus, theres your gambit
Im always expecting myself to hate Channing but then i end up liking him.
No… not at all.. this would be the equivalent of when they decided to go with Ryan Reynolds as deathstroke… it was jis a terrible idea. it was just a stupid decision. Why can’t Marvel/Disney take this movie seriously. Compared to all of their past lead choices (which luckily have been above par, excluding storm and cyclops) this would be the worst.
Honestly – I’d vote for Brad Pitt – in the “Oceans” movies, “Snatch” and “Burn After Reading” – He can be really funny,
and he ALREADY lives in Louisiana….
tatum is not a good actor – hes the same person in every role… even Sam Worthington would be a more interesting choice
JOSH HOLLOWAY!!
Absolutely, Josh Holloway would make a GREAT Gambit…
And, IMO, the only reason Channing Tatum is in “high demand” right now, is because every girl/woman from 12-50 have a high school crush on the guy, acting skills aside…
Josh holloway
No offense to Channing Tatum but I really don’t see it. He’s too… I don’t know. Vanilla. I still think Sawyer from Lost would have been good.
^ That (Norman Reedus)
After years and years of thinking about this the only Gambit I can approve of is Norman Reedus! There is no other actor that could really pull of Gambit. Channing, ha!; what a joke!
Tatum isnt a great actor. no idea why hes so popular
Tatum isnt a great actor, No idea why hes so popular
Anyone would be better than Taylor Kitsch. Channing Tatum seems to have just been in some crappy movies, given the chance, he might actually be a really good Gambit. I won’t hate on it unless he completely messes the character up. I don’t think I could take that. Gambit was always my favorite.
Nerd girls need our favorite bad boy mutant to really resemble what we have loved for all these years in appearance, attitude, charm and accent.
I can appreciate Channing Tatum as an actor in the right roles but really can’t see him as a true Gambit. Taylor Kitsch too, I could not see him as Gambit but like him in the right roles.
I would like to see them bring back Taylor Kitsch as Gambit. He did a really good job in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
It could be cool sort of like Gambit meets Assassin’s Creed it has promise and Channing is a nerd he looks like a jock but people tend to forget that actors were socially awkward as kids and emersed the selves in books and comics. Look at Pao Gasol he is a huge game of thrones fan he has every book in english and spanish. So what i am saying is do not judge till you see a trailor or the movie.
Not sure how I feel about this. I just want a good Gambit movie since we can’t seem to get a good Wolverine one.