Channing Tatum may have quit the new X-Men film Gambit . Rumors that Tatum quit are causing quite a stir on the internet, especially with all the buzz he had recently received at Comic-Con. A report from The Wrap late Tuesday (July 28) states that sources inside the production revealed that director Rupert Wyatt will have to find a new leading man. This could become a huge problem for a film that has already received a lot of social media attention.
It’s important to note that neither 20th Century Fox nor representatives for Channing Tatum have confirmed that he is leaving the project. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , Tatum sought out this part and had a lot of excitement about playing the character Gambit. In fact, he was in talks for a long time before an official announcement was made about his involvement with the X-Men franchise. He was even slated to be one of the producers of the upcoming stand-alone film.
With a release date already set for Oct. 7, 2016, having Channing Tatum quit Gambit could seriously harm the production schedule. It doesn’t mean the studio won’t be able to get it done in time, but merely that a new star would have to be cast rather quickly. Filming was scheduled to start in October, so there is still time to get everything settled. The inherent problem, though, is that without Tatum attached as the star, it may attract a small audience.
This isn’t the first time that the character of Gambit has been portrayed on the big screen. In the 2009 release X-Men Origins: Wolverine , Taylor Kitsch (from Friday Night Lights ) took on the role of Remy LeBeau (nicknamed Gambit). He didn’t do a bad job on the film, but his screen time was limited to a few scenes where he helped out Hugh Jackman’s character. It’s possible that his recent box office (lack of) success led to the studio not feeling it could bank on him in another origins story. Taylor Kitsch might rejuvenate his acting career with his role on True Detective though.
No other Gambit cast members have been revealed yet, but there was a lot of internet chatter about what the story might entail. One villain expected to make an appearance is Mr. Sinister, who used to employ Remy LeBeau in the comics. If the news turns out to be true that Channing Tatum quit Gambit , there are also going to be questions about whether he remains on as a producer. Either way, the studio will need to give fans some answers soon, because a worst-case scenario is too much bad press before production even begins.
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