Card puns aside a rumor from just a few days ago claiming GAMBIT might lose its leading actor Channing Tatum was wrong. And even yesterday there was more claims Tatum was out as GAMBIT. Again, wrong.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, all of it was hogwash as Tatum has reportedly closed his deal with 20th Century Fox for the title role. THR did say there was a "sensitive spot" during talks between the actor's reps and the studios but that it wasn't as bad as previously reported.
"Sources say that Tatum and the studio did hit a sensitive spot in negotiations, but such back-and-forth is a normal part of top-level talent dealmaking. The Magic Mike star's participation hardly was in any real danger because the actor already had invested quite a bit in the superhero part. Tatum has been attached to the movie (loosely then officially) as both actor and producer for a few years and even made a surprise appearance at Fox’s X-Men panel at Comic-Con in July.
"One thing that needed figuring out was the extent of Tatum’s involvement in the X-Men universe. Fox sees Tatum’s Gambit, a mutant who harnesses kinetic energy, as one of the anchor characters of the X-universe, akin to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, someone who would anchor his own movies and appear in numerous others. It’s a commitment that could theoretically last more than a decade. (Jackman has been portraying Wolverine since 2000, for instance.)"
When the rumors hit claiming Tatum might leave the project altogether it honestly just didn't feel right because he showed up for Fox's San Diego Comic-Con 2015 presentation wearing a freakin' Gambit shirt. And it's been well documented how passionate Tatum is for the role so leaving the movie seemed like the least likely of outcomes in this particular case.
GAMBIT begins filming in Louisiana this fall and releases on October 7, 2016.
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