When Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit in 2014 for a standalone ‘X-Men’ movie, it was eagerly anticipated by fans. However, the film kept facing development issues and was unable to get off the ground for many years.
Nearly a decade later, director Shawn Levy has revealed that he was one of the many who was in consideration to head the long delayed Gambit movie with Tatum in the lead. While that project never materialized, Levy and Tatum’s bond with the character did come to life recently in a unexpected way.
Shawn Levy Opens Up About His Missed Opportunity For The Gambit Film
Shawn Levy opened up to Variety about his involvement with the scrapped Gambit movie. He explained that back when it was in early development at Fox, he was one of the numerous directors who were brought in to pitch their vision for the film to Channing Tatum.
While Levy didn’t land the job of directing Gambit, he met with Channing Tatum and discussed their take on translating the character to the big screen.
The project continued to face issues finding a director and suffered from studio interference and script rewrites. This prevented it from moving forward for many years until it was eventually removed from Fox’s schedule indefinitely.
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Channing Tatum’s ‘Deadpool And Wolverine’ Cameo Was An Emotional Moment For The Actor
Fans saw a surprise cameo from Channing Tatum in Shawn Levy’s recent blockbuster ‘Deadpool and Wolverine‘. In his interview, Levy stated that including the character was a satisfying way to repay Channing Tatum, who had passionately waited nearly a decade to play Gambit.
Levy recalled seeing the actor being visibly emotional on set, expressing either smiling euphoria or tearful gratitude at finally portraying the role. While brief, Tatum’s appearance was a highlight for fans and hinted that his version of Gambit may possibly return in the future. The unexpected cameo ultimately reunited Levy with the actor he had previously met with to pitch the shelved standalone film.
Hashtags like #MakeGambitMovieand #BringBackGambit trended on release weekend showing strong fan support. ScreenRant conducted a Twitter poll that found over 80% of voters wanting to see Tatum reprise the role in the future. Whether or not Marvel chooses to further explore Gambit, Shawn Levy was able to fulfill both his and Tatum’s initial vision for the character on the big screen after nearly a decade.
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