‘Gambit’ Is Officially Rolling As Channing Tatum’s Film Gets Its Villain

The ball is officially rolling on Gambit, the Channing Tatum superhero flick which has been dragged through the mud the last few years. After years of ups and downs, 20th Century Fox is moving forward with the card-throwing superhero flick and it appears the movie just got its villain.

For those who aren’t familiar with the superhero, Gambit (a.k.a Remy LeBeau) fought alongside the X-Men after changing his thieving bad-boy ways when he was a young man. His powers include kinetic conversion and acceleration, which make him highly skilled in martial arts, acrobatics, and his signature card-throwing.

The Gambit film was originally to be released in the summer of 2016, but directorial issues kept the movie from ever moving forward. Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) were both set to direct, but bowed out when they were handed scripts they were unhappy with. For now, it seems Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean) will direct the delayed film, with Tatum still on to play Gambit himself.

In 2009, Gambit appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and was played by Taylor Kitsch (American Assassin). Ryan Reynolds also appeared as Wade Wilson (Deadpool) in the film, but it took seven years before he’d play the chimichanga lover again. Things didn’t work out so well for Kitsch, and Wolverine bombed.

Now that Gambit is a go, fans have been speculating over who would be the movie’s big bad. For now, Omega Underground is claiming Candra the Benefactress, also known as Red Death, will take on the villain role.

Candra is a mutant known from the X-Men comics for her telepathic abilities, and grants powers to those that follow her. She’s an immortal mutant and controlled the New Orleans Thieves and Assassins Guild which Gambit used to belong to before working with the X-Men. Omega Underground also suggests Gambit will be an origins film, so fans will see Remy’s start in the Theives Guild.

Mr. Sinister is also rumored to be in the film, possibly portrayed by Daniel Craig. Splash Report broke the news about a plot point where Mr. Sinister hires Gambit to retrieve a chest stolen by the Thieves Guild during Mardi Gras. Mr. Sinister also has superhuman powers, and has been paralleled to Thanos.

There is no official confirmation yet of the two villains, but the likelihood is high. There are also no casting rumors for Candra just yet, but it could be Fox’s chance to cast an African-American lead in a superhero flick. In the original comic’s, Candra was caucasian. However, in the 1990s animated X-Men series, she was African-American. This should be the opportunity 20th Century Fox jumps at to make their Marvel movies more diverse.

Gambit is likely to take on a R-rating, after following in the success of Deadpool and Logan.

Gambit hits theaters on February 14, 2019.

[Featured Image by Marvel Comics]