How Channing Tatum's Gambit Transformation Took 17 Years

Channing Tatum’s surprise appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine as Gambit finally gives the actor and the fans’ closure for the X-Men character Channing always wanted to play.

Channing Tatum’s Gambit appeared alongside Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Wesley Snipes’ Blade, three Marvel characters from the Fox era who have been erased from the MCU. These three appear alongside a host of other superheroes in The Void, a place for things that don’t fit into the current Marvel multiverse.

Channing’s cameo in the Ryan Reynolds film re-united the Magic Mike actor with Shawn Levy, one of the directors who was brought on to pitch for the Gambit movie back in 2014. A decade ago, Channing was officially cast in a standalone Gambit movie. However, the movie was ultimately never made and was scrapped when Disney regained the rights to the characters in 2019.

“I am obsessed with Channing as Gambit in [Deadpool & Wolverine]. What went into this, first and foremost, is a decade of Channing wanting to play this part and a decade of Channing almost playing this part at Fox,” Shawn said.

How Channing Tatum Prepared To Play Gambit In Deadpool & Wolverine

In a recent Instagram post, Channing Tatum shared a video compilation of him preparing for the role of Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. This montage included the Magic Mike star playing with a Deadpool action figure before practicing fight choreography with Gambit’s signature bo staff.

Channing is no stranger to an intense workout routine. The star is known for his intense workout routines, especially for roles in movies like Foxcatcher, where he played a wrestler.

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In general, Channing Tatum’s workouts are broken down into a push circuit one day and a pull circuit the next day. Or even a combination of the two, with the star never repeating the same workout every week.

Channing has also praised Deadpool himself Ryan Reynolds , with helping bring Gambit to the big screen after years of setbacks and a canceled movie.

“I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy. Shawn Levy as well. Truly such a brilliant creator on every single level. All things happen for a reason. I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure badass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!!”

Channing Tatum Wanted To Play Gambit At The Start Of His Movie Career

Channing Tatum has wanted to play the Marvel hero Gambit since 2005. An early draft of 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand included Gambit. The Cajun mutant was ultimately written out of the script, with Channing revealing in 2014 that he was set to be involved in the superhero franchise.

The Blink Twice actor was also supposed to play the kinetic mutant in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts with G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The role was ultimately played by Canadian actor Taylor Kitsch, but any plans to keep him in the role were halted after fan backlash.

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The 21 Jump Street star tried numerous times over the years to get a Gambit solo movie off the ground with 20th Century Fox, but it never left production purgatory.

Channing’s journey to playing Gambit on the big screen mirrors Ryan Reynolds’ own journey to playing Deadpool. The motormouth mercenary first appeared as a misguided version of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The Canadian superstar’s solo Deadpool failed to get off the ground until footage leaked. The footage was so popular that it led to the movie being green-lit.

What Happened To Channing Tatum’s Gambit Movie?

When Channing Tatum’s Gambit film was confirmed to be in development, numerous directors were brought in to pitch their ideas for the movie. Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy revealed that he was one of the directors brought in to get the movie off the ground.

Spectre actress Léa Seydoux was set to start as Belladonna Boudreaux alongside Channing’s Gambit. The French actress revealed, “The script was really good. It had some funny bits in it, but they wanted to make more of a comedy.”

Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt eventually signed on to helm the film. However, he dropped out two months before filming was set to start due to creative issues with Fox. Doug Liman took over a rewritten film but parted ways after delays. Gore Verbinski was also connected to the project in 2018, despite the release date that was originally touted as 2016. He left the project months before filming started, and once again, the Gambit solo film was rewritten.

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By the time Disney purchased 20th Century Fox in 2019, Gambit had undergone at least three major rewrites, hired and lost three different directors, and missed three announced release dates. When Disney started clearing up Fox’s slate and pending projects, the House of Mouse shutdown any hope for the Gambit film.

Channing hopes the third Deadpool movie will not be the last time Gambit is seen on the big screen. “Write it into existence, my friend. Please,” he recently declared before adding, “Of course I’ve said it. I’ve been saying I want it for the last 10 years. It’s in Bob Iger and Kevin Feige’s hands. I pray to God.”

Ryan Reynolds shared his hopes on Instagram for the Gambit film to be freed from production hell.

He wrote. “His story is similar to my road on Deadpool – in that Chan spent a decade trying to put the most comic-accurate version of Gambit on the big screen.”