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Marvel's X-Men has had several film adaptations, including the spin-off films like The Wolverine and Logan but MU's Gambit may never see the light of the day.
The spin-off for the X-Men character was canceled, leaving actor Channing Tatum traumatized as he was set to portray him. Let's dissect and understand the cause behind the cancelation and its impact on Tatum's love for Marvel.
Why was MCU's Gambit canceled?
Marvel Cinematic Universe's Gambit, scheduled for a release in October 2016, was canceled due to Disney shelving the X-Men spinoff. Disney's merger with Fox made the spin-off a corporate casualty and was canceled in 2019.
Channing Tatum, who was set to portray the character, spent four years developing the film alongside producer partner Reid Carolin. The film was supposed to be a raunchy venture just like Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool films.
According to Carolin:
"We wanted to make a romantic comedy superhero movie. The thesis was the only thing harder than saving the world is making a relationship work. Disney had just gotten the ‘X-Men’ from Fox. I think they needed to redesign the X-Men from the ground up."
Channing Tatum's trauma after the cancelation
Channing Tatum, who was cast as Gambit, recently shared about his trauma from the rejection. He was so hurt that he boycotted Marvel’s Avengers movies ever since.
In an interview with Variety, Tatum shared:
"Once it went away, I was so traumatized. I shut off my Marvel machine. I haven’t been able to see any of the movies. I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him."
The divide between Tatum and Carolin's wants and the studio’s wishes also caused the spin-off to get canceled. The studio did not want the two to direct the film because they did not have any former experience in such films.
The spin-off was supposed to be unconnected to the greater X-Men movie-verse and Tatum had fallen in love with Carolin’s script, specifically his distinct fashion. He shared:
"They would call him flamboyant in his description. I wouldn’t — he was just the coolest person. He could pull anything off. Most superheroes, their outfits are utilitarian. Batman’s got his belt. Gambit's like, ‘No, this sh*t’s just fly, bro! This sh*t walked down the Paris runway last year.’ He’s just wearing the stuff that’s so dope because he loves fashion."
More about Gambit
Gambit, a.k.a. Remy Etienne LeBeau, is a fictional character in Marvel Comics and is best known for his association with the X-Men. The character was created by writer Chris Claremont, artist Jim Lee and was drawn by Mike Collins. He first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 and The Uncanny X-Men #266 in 1990.
The character is a mutant who holds the ability to mentally create, control, and manipulate pure kinetic energy to his desire. He is also incredibly knowledgeable and skilled in card throwing, hand-to-hand combat, as well as the use of a bō staff. He is known to charge playing cards and other objects with kinetic energy to use them as explosive projectiles.
Before Tatum's project, he first appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch.
