Channing Tatum's long-awaited Gambit movie, which was canceled following the 2019 Disney-Fox merger, was set to have a unique '30s screwball romantic comedy vibe within the superhero universe, according to actress Lizzy Caplan. Speaking to Business Insider, Caplan, who was set to star alongside Tatum in the film, described the concept as having "a really cool idea."
Tatum's journey to bring the fan-favorite X-Men character to life has been well-documented, and his efforts seemed to be in vain until his surprising cameo as Gambit in the MCU blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine. The actor had previously expressed his fears of never getting to portray the card-wielding mutant, even admitting to being "traumatized" by the ordeal of the canceled project.
Deadpool & Wolverine: Easter Eggs, Cameos and References
38 Images
Caplan confirmed her role as the female lead in the Gambit movie as early as 2017, and in her interview with Business Insider, she shared that she had signed on for the film and had meetings with Tatum. "We got down the road, we were gonna shoot it," Caplan said. "I think there was a start date.”
In 2018, Simon Kinberg, the producer of the Gambit movie, told IGN that the film would incorporate a "romantic or sex comedy vibe" due to Gambit's character traits. "When you look at Gambit," Kinberg explained, "he’s a hustler and a womanizer and we just felt like there was an attitude, a swagger to him, that lent itself to romantic comedy."
Seven years later, Caplan echoed this sentiment, stating, "They wanted to do, like, a '30s kind of screwball romantic comedy set in that world, which would have been really fun."
As for the future of Tatum and Gambit within the MCU, Marvel Studios has yet to provide any concrete plans, although they have confirmed the upcoming integration of the X-Men into the MCU.
In August of last year, Ryan Reynolds, the actor behind Deadpool, shared a high-quality version of a scene from Deadpool & Wolverine on Twitter, sparking intense speculation among Gambit fans.
Warning! Deadpool & Wolverine spoilers follow.
