Deadline is reporting that Léa Seydoux has snagged the female lead role in Fox’s upcoming Gambit spinoff opposite Channing Tatum. The Blue Is The Warmest Color star beat out Abby Lee and Rebecca Ferguson for the part, which will see her playing Belladonna Boudreaux.
For those unfamiliar with the character, she’s the love interest of the titular hero who becomes the head of the Assassin’s Guild when she gains super powers. She first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #8 and is an important figure in Gambit’s life. How heavily she’ll factor into the film is currently known, but we imagine it’s probably an integral role.
As for Seydoux, while she’s far from a bad pick and certainly an actress on the rise, we were keeping our fingers crossed for Ferguson. Unfortunately though, she backed out due to joining another project, and thus, the race was down to Lee and Seydoux.
Again though, she’s not a poor choice and as evident in films like the aforementioned Blue and Inglourious Basterds, she’s definitely got some acting chops. She’s also got a sizeable role in the upcoming Bond film Spectre, so expect her profile to rise considerably in the months to come.
Gambit will arrive in theatres on October 7th, 2016. Tell us, are you happy to see Fox going with Seydoux for the role, or did you have someone else in mind?