Here’s some good news for people who like bad news.
Though he’s long held it near and dear to his heart as something of a passion project – even going so far as to hold panels on it – it’s beginning to look very likely that Channing Tatum‘s deal to portray the much beloved X-Men character Gambit is falling apart at the seams.
Tatum was previously one of the key figureheads in the development of the standalone Gambit film – a film a very long time coming in the eyes of many X-Men fans. He’d even appeared at this year’s San Diego ComicCon International to begin the hype machine for his stint in the boots of Remy LeBeau.
But for unknown reasons, word is emerging that the deal between Tatum and 20th Century Fox is close to imploding completely. Tatum had recently been screen-testing actresses alongside Tatum for the film – including Blue is the Warmest Colour‘s Lea Seydoux – and was on board the project as a producer alongside his business partner Reid Carolin.
Whether Tatum and Carolin stay on board as producers without Tatum in the lead remains to be seen.
One possible explanation for this sudden implosion is Tatum’s stated desire to move into directing, which could be causing some scheduling issues that are forcing Tatum’s hand one way or the other. But that, for the time being, remains purely speculative.
If Tatum does indeed drop out, then director Rupert Wyatt will have to find a new leading man, and find him in double quick time. Gambit has a scheduled release date of October 7th, 2016, and is the third planned release in a string of X-Men movies next year, following Deadpool in February, and X-Men: Apocalypse in May.
Photo: Don Arnold via Getty Images.
via The Wrap.
