Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, and the X-Men franchise, there is no shortage of comic book movies being produced and shown on the silver screen. And while each studio has been green lighting new and exciting projects, there is one long gestating superhero movie that has made almost no progress in the years since it was introduced. Channing Tatum's Gambit movie has been pushed back time and time again, with no definitive plan as to when the film would finally go into production. And while Tatum has no new information on this front, he recently revealed why he adores the ragin' cajun so much. While he didn't read Gambit's adventures in comics as a kid, his role in the X-Men animated series is where it was at. He said,
There wasn't a comic store, but the cartoon was on TV and he was this cool Cajun guy...and he was the easiest person to play as a kid because you could just unscrew the broom handle, get a pack of cards and wrap a bandana around your head. We had a lot of fun throwing cards and trying to take our friends' eyes out across the living room.
I think most of us nerd culture-obsessed fans can identify with Channing Tatum's comment to Straits Times. We all played superhero as a kid, and Gambit was an easy one to emulate-- all you needed was a pack of cards.
Channing Tatum's childhood love for Gambit and the X-Men animated series should excited the hardcore fandom, as it proves that the Magic Mike actor actually knows and cares about the fan favorite character. With so many superhero movies currently in the works, it would be pretty easy for a less informed or passionate actor to take a beloved comic book role. But Tatum seems to be a genuine Gambit fan, hopefully meaning that he'll put his heart and soul in the film, whenever it actually starts filming.
While Gambit was introduced in 1990, he rose to popularity with the X-Men cartoon, which ran for five years through 1997. Gambit was a love interest for Rogue, and has the mutant power to charge objects with kinetic energy. His choice of weapon is a deck of cards, making every card an explosive projectile against his enemies. He's also quite skilled with a Bo staff, aka the broom stick that Channing Tatum used to play with as a kid.
The reasons for the Gambit movie's delay seem to be many. For starters, Channing Tatum is a massively successful film star with a very busy schedule. And with the script also not ready despite the film being announced back in 2014, there's no concrete schedule as to when Gambit will finally hit the silver screen again.
You can catch Channing Tatum in Kingsman: The Golden Circle on September 22nd. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
