Channing Tatum has opened up about his scrapped X-Men spin-off focused on Gambit.
Before Disney and Fox merged, Channing Tatum was hard at work on a Gambit film, which would serve as a spin-off to the prolific X-Men franchise. The project eventually became a causality of the Disney and Fox merger, leaving Tatum heartbroken. In an interview with Variety to promote his return as a leading man in Dog, Tatum, and his producing partner Reid Carolin opened up about the scrapped X-Men project.
Details on the scrapped Gambit project are slim, though the outlet learned that the film would have been in a similar vein to Deadpool and would have been rated R. The duo also revealed that they were interested in directing the film together, a pairing that would eventually manifest in the soon-to-be-released Dog.
“The studio really didn’t want us to direct it. They wanted anybody but us, essentially, because we had never directed anything.”
Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin were open to stepping away from directorial duties as they had penned the film’s script together, which saw Gambit being described as fashion-focused and suave as heck.
“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 shit’s just fly, bro! This shit walked down the Paris runway last year.’ He’s just wearing the stuff that’s so dope because he loves fashion.”
Reid Carolin went on to reveal that the film would have been a romantic comedy in nature and that the X-Men project was close to being in production.
“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.”
“We were right on the one-yard line. We had cast the film. We’d opened up a production office. We were on our way to shoot in New Orleans.”
Of course, the Fox and Disney merger happened, which derailed the plans for Gambit. Channing Tatum wore his heart on his sleeve and expressed how heartbroken he was that the X-Men character slipped away from arms reach.
“Once ‘Gambit’ 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.”
Would Channing Tatum return to the project? Sounds like it.
“Uh, yeah, I would love to play Gambit. I don’t think we should direct it. I think that was hubris on our part.”
Here is the synopsis for the final Fox X-Men film, Dark Phoenix:
“This is the story of one of the X-Men’s most beloved characters, Jean Grey, as she evolves into the iconic DARK PHOENIX. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. The film is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we’ve come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet — one of their own.”
Written and directed by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain.
Dark Phoenix is now available on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the X-Men in the MCU!
Source: Variety
