We may never know what it would have been like to see Channing Tatum starring in the Gambit movie that never came to be, but fans can get a small sneak peek thanks to some recently-released a concept artwork. For years, Tatum had been attached to a planned Gambit film, but the movie ultimately died in development hell before production could ever begin. The X-Men franchise getting put on ice with plans to reboot the group for the MCU have paused production on any projects following those characters for now, sans the upcoming Deadpool 3 which features Hugh Jackman returning as Logan.
In any case, the future of Gambit is unclear, but senior illustrator and storyboard artist Anthony Winn provided some storyboard frames that were made for the unmade film. The four frames, shared on ArtStation (per The Direct), reveal Tatum’s Gambit sitting on a pickup truck near a tiny shack that he presumably calls home. He’s holding a bottle of bourbon which seems to get energized by the character’s superpowers, the superhero clearly angry about something. He throws the bottle, causing it to explode in the distance while taking out a fence. It’s all we’re given, but the small handful of frames do provide some clues about the canceled feature film.
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View the frames below.
It’s unfortunate for those involved that the project didn’t come to fruition. Tatum’s co-star that would have also been featured in a lead role as Bella Donna Boudreaux, Lea Seydoux, recently described the script as “really good,” noting that the film had a lot of comedic elements to it along with its action.
“The script was really good, it had some funny bits in it, but they wanted to make more of a comedy," she said. “I feel that in America people have more imagination. I have been offered films very very far from what I’ve done and I’m like, ‘Oh. Interesting.’ I love to feel that I can adapt myself. For me, that’s very exotic.”
Gambit Getting Nixed Traumatized Channing Tatum
Marvel Comics
Seydoux was obviously disappointed that Gambit died, but for Tatum, it was beyond devastating. The actor also spoke about how the movie was basically a dream project for him, and he described having the project canceled as feeling like losing a close friend. Tatum also admitted he hasn’t been able to watch any Marvel movies since, as it reminds him to much of having his Gambit movie squashed.
“Once Gambit went away, I was so traumatized,” he explained. “I shut off my Marvel machine. I haven’t been able to see any of the movies. I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him. I wish they would reconsider, because it’s a pretty great project. Maybe someday.”
Who knows what will happen with the future of the X-Men in the MCU, but until official casting announcements are made, it remains possible that Tatum could one day appear as Gambit.
