Channing Tatum has long dreamed of portraying the popular X-Men character Gambit and his dream finally came true with a cameo role in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine‘. But, development on his solo project began as far back as 2014 when Tatum was officially cast in the role.
However, despite years of planning and development hell, the Gambit movie was never able to make it to theaters. Let’s look at some of the key reasons why Tatum’s passion project ultimately got shelved.
Related: Channing Tatum Requests Kevin Feige To Recreate An Iconic Gambit Scene From ‘X-Men ’97’ With Him
Constant Delays And Fox Merger Hindered Channing Tatum’s Chances
The first issue that plagued Gambit was constant delays and rewrites. The film was originally slated for a 2016 release but kept getting pushed back due to script issues. Director Doug Liman was attached early on but eventually left the project in 2016 citing creative differences.
By the time a new director, Gore Verbinski, came aboard in 2018 the script had gone through numerous rewrites taking films like ‘Deadpool‘ and ‘Logan‘. This inconsistency made it difficult for the film to gain any momentum.
Another major hurdle was Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox in 2019. Once the merger was completed, the fate of all existing and planned Fox X-Men films was put in doubt. According to Tatum, conversations about Gambit continued after the merger but Disney seemed less interested in the comedic tone that had been planned. With the X-Men film rights now at Marvel Studios, there was no guarantee Disney would want to make the same movie. As Tatum said, the merger was “ultimately the final nail in the coffin“.
In case you missed it: “I’ve Been Saying I Want It For The Last 10 Years”: Channing Tatum Desperately Prays To God For Solo Gambit Movie
Tone Of The Gambit Movie Was An Issue
A final issue seems to have been disagreements over the proper tone and direction for the Gambit character. According to producer Simon Kinberg, the film was envisioned as a rom-com, inspired by Tatum’s previous movies. However, comments from Tatum indicate Disney was not keen on this approach and may have wanted something more fitting to the MCU’s style.
While Channing Tatum never got to make his dream project, he was finally able to play the character in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine‘. These cameo appearances have ignited fan enthusiasm for Gambit. Only time will tell if Marvel Studios decides to further adapt the character, whether with Tatum in a rebooted film or through another project altogether.
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