Originally, Channing Tatum was set to appear as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine along with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. The actor couldn’t commit to the role because of a scheduling conflict with his other movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra. Although the film never happened, we did get a storyboard, courtesy of the Marvel Studios senior illustrator and storyboard artist Anthony Winn. Winn shared the images from on his ArtStation account and the artwork is now circulating online. There are four images in total where Gambit is seen holding a bottle of bourbon on the bed of a pickup truck. He then uses his powers to charge the bottle with kinetic energy and he throws it as a projectile. Winn describes the shared images as “Pitch mood boards for canceled GAMBIT feature film.” The artist has worked on a number of projects for Marvel Studios including Thor: Love and Thunder. Winn has shared unused storyboard images from the film including one where Jane Foster’s Mighty Thor goes one-on-one with Galactus.
Gambit’s cancelation and future
Tatum has been interested in the role of Gambit for many years. The actor claims that 21st Century Fox did not want a “raunchy” Gambit movie made. The film reportedly had a tone similar to Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool. “The studio really didn’t want us to direct it,” Tatum said. “They wanted anybody but us, essentially, because we had never directed anything.” “Once Gambit went away, I was so traumatized,” the actor adds. “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 movie was placed on hold after being stuck in development for several years until the new owners, Disney, officially canned it following its 21st Century Fox acquisition. Tatum may have an opportunity to take on the role of Gambit once the X-Men debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel’s Kevin Feige has promised fans that the X-Men will be a part of the MCU. Feige recently said that we are getting close to having the X-Men now that Wolverine is set to be part of Deadpool 3. Hopefully, we will see Tatum play Gambit sometime in the near future if he is still interested in the role. It should be fun to watch.
