Out of all of the hoopla surrounding the X-Men film franchise and its myriad of sequels and spin-offs, one of the most requested characters has been Gambit. Most people in their mid-to-late 20s remember the Cajun as being the smooth talking kinetically-powered mutant romantically linked to Rogue thanks to the ’90s X-Men cartoon series. Comic book fans know there’s more to the character than his accent and status as a ladies man, as he’s tiptoed the line between good and evil many times.
While the character was briefly seen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch (John Carter), it wasn’t the major role fans wanted. Channing Tatum (22 Jump Street) has expressed major interest in portraying the character over the years, and having Tatum play such a large role in the franchise would be great for both fans and the franchise alike.
Apparently, the studio agrees, as X-Men: Days of Future Past producer Lauren Shuller Donner has confirmed Tatum’s casting as Remy LeBeau in a future X-Men film in a video interview with Total Film. You can watch the confirmation video below.
This is great casting for the X-Men films, as Tatum has been building up a good resume in both action and comedy roles over recent years. His excitement over the character should also help his portrayal of Gambit, as well. Speculation will begin now that he’s been officially cast in the role, but I bet he’ll play a huge role in either X-Force or X-Men: Apocalypse with the potential to build the franchise around him.
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[via Total Film]