Uh Oh – Channing Tatum’s GAMBIT is in Trouble


gambit-slice

Sometimes big news breaks that just leaves you scratching your head – like this.

For a long time Channing Tatum hyped up the idea of him playing the X-Men character Gambit in a movie and it turned out that Fox were just as interested, leading to Tatum being officially cast and a movie set for Fall 2016. Rise of the Planet of the Apes helmer Rupert Wyatt signed on to direct and just recently a casting call leaked revealing that cameras were expected to roll this October in New Orleans with a $150m budget. This was totally happening – until now.channing-tatum

The Wrap is saying that Tatum’s deal is kinda in tatters and he’s on the verge of walking from the movie, leaving the project in limbo. Let’s get one thing straight: this is only happening because Channing Tatum wanted it to happen. Aside from this, nobody cares muchabout Gambit – the character or the film, really. Sure, he’s interesting but there are more pressing characters to spend money on over at Fox. If Tatum quits then what’s the point in spending $150m on a movie that nobody’s that interested in making? I’m sure Rupert Wyatt is, but…

This news is just weird. Comic-Con was only a few weeks ago where Tatum got up on stage and made a big show out of the fact that he was joining the X-Men universe, so why is he now choosing to walk? Money? Scheduling conflicts? The script? Both parties are still chatting but apparently “something is up”. The article states that Tatum wishes to make his directorial debut sooner rather than later which may play a part in it. However, he’s been so passionate about the character for so long that it’s hard to believe he would just walk and risk never making the movie when he can still direct later down the line. But hey, I’m not Channing Tatum.

If he is indeed out then don’t be shocked if Gambit is just shelved. His involvement got the ball rolling in the first place and now the ball’s been stomped on by a shiny Fox exec. ‘Tis a shame as the movie could have ended up being pretty good. I guess we’ll find out what the deal is sooner or later, but for now Gambit is slated to hit on October 7th, 2016.