Back in the halcyon days of yore, there were tentative plans to make a whole bunch of X-Men Origins films. Unfortunately, 20th Century Fox started it all off with the risible X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film busted and we all moved on to the next Wolverine film. It’s a shame too, because there are more X-Men than just the one played by Hugh Jackman. Characters such as Gambit, the wise-cracking New Orleans gambler and thief, made a brief appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and then was promptly forgotten by the X-Men universe.
There are a few in the business who have not forgotten about Gambit, however, and one of them is Lauren Shuler Donner, longtime producer of the X-Men franchise. She wants to make a standalone Gambit film with Channing Tatum in the lead role, but she also has to convince the studio that it’s a good idea.
Here’s what she had to say to Empire Magazine (via The Playlist):
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. He’s on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He’s such a sweetheart.
Tatum himself has previously stated that he’d love to play Gambit, even if the idea seemed like a long shot. He’s one of the few big name action stars to not appear into some superhero universe, so why not the X-Men?
A Gambit film seems a long way off, in any case, and we still have the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past to look forward to. But given that 20th Century Fox wants to hang on to their X-Men rights, they are likely going to want to produce as many new superhero films as they can. Since Gambit is a fan favorite and received a very short shrift in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it seems that he deserves his own film.
You can let us know what you think about a Gambit film and Channing Tatum’s potential casting in the comments section. Is there someone else you’d prefer to see in the part?
