After more than five years since the cancellation of the Gambit solo movie, star Lizzy Caplan has shared intriguing details about the Channing Tatum-led X-Men spin-off.
Initially announced in 2014 as part of the 20th Century Fox X-Men film series, the Gambit solo film was intended to feature Tatum as the beloved mutant capable of creating, controlling, and manipulating kinetic energy. Despite Tatum’s strong commitment to the project, it remained in development limbo and was ultimately canceled in May 2019 following Disney and Marvel Studios’ acquisition of the X-Men rights after purchasing 20th Century Fox.
Plot Details for Gambit Unveiled
Caplan, who signed on as the female lead in November 2017, recently discussed the canceled project. “It was a really cool idea,” she stated. “It’s kind of odd that it got scrapped. Those movies don’t seem to ever get scrapped, but it did.”
The actress revealed that Gambit aimed to pioneer a new genre within the X-Men franchise by embracing the superhero romantic comedy format. “We were well into the process and had a potential start date. I had multiple meetings with Channing and various producers,” she explained. “They envisioned a ’30s screwball romantic comedy set in that universe, which would have been really fun.”
Initially believing he would never portray Gambit on screen after the project’s cancellation, Tatum surprised fans five years later by debuting as the character in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine, sharing the screen with Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. While there are currently no official plans for Tatum’s return as Gambit, sources suggest that he may feature in upcoming titles such as Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The X-Men movies, including Deadpool & Wolverine, are available for streaming.
