The Gambit spin-off is one of the many X-Men film projects that never managed to get off the ground. The film would have been centered around the titular X-Men character of the same name, and it went through a variety of developmental stages up until Disney acquired Fox. At that point, the entire project was wiped off the slate. And considering Channing Tatum was always the one attached to play Gambit, it’s no doubt a disappointing turn of events for the popular actor. And, according to him, he’s still traumatized because of it. So much so, in fact, that Channing Tatum doesn’t even watch Marvel movies.
He revealed this while speaking with Variety, and emphasized just how painful of an experience it was to have lost his chance to play Gambit. It was so devastating that he compared it to “losing a friend.”
Here’s what he said:
“Once Gambit went away, I was so traumatized,” he began. “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.”
While Channing Tatum was always attached to the Gambit role, a variety of directors were discussed for the picture. At one point, in a moment of desperation, Channing Tatum himself tried to get attached as director. He would have tackled the project with his producing partner Reid Carolin. But obviously that never happened. Nevertheless, he says if Marvel Studios wanted him to do the role, he would still be there to do it.
“Uh, yeah, I would love to play Gambit,” he stressed. “I don’t think we should direct it. I think that was hubris on our part.”
It’s worth noting that everything almost finally fell into place until Disney acquired Fox. At that point, everything was shut down, which must’ve been disappointing considering it was almost ready to shoot in New Orleans. As such, it’s understandable that Channing Tatum might be a bit traumatized when it comes to Marvel movies.