Step Up, Channing Tatum Fans! 'Gambit' Movie News, Rumors, Trailer, Release Date, Cast & All You Need To Know

The road to a Gambit movie has been bumpy to say the least, but the same could be said for Deadpool, another X-Men spinoff that went on to break box office records worldwide. This fills us with hope that Channing Tatum's first appearance as Gambit could still prove to be a success when it's eventually released.

Rumors regarding the direction of the #Gambit movie are flying around faster than the Cajun's signature pack of cards, so let's break down everything we know for certain about Gambit's troubled production and Channing Tatum's first foray into superheroics.

'Gambit' Movie News, Rumors & Updates

THR reports that Gore Verbinski is in talks to direct Gambit now that Doug Liman has dropped out. While these rumors are yet to be confirmed, the man behind the first three movies in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise certainly has the potential to lift this project off the ground.

Also, rumors suggested that Daniel Craig could star in the Gambit movie as Mr Sinister, a comic book villain previously alluded to in the end credits of X-Men: Apocalypse. However, it now appears that this casting suggestion has been debunked, potentially opening the way for Bryan Cranston to tackle the role instead.

After years of silence, read on to discover exactly why director Doug Liman gave up on the Ragin' Cajun.

How do the other X-Men spin-off release dates affect Gambit's long awaited debut in cinemas? While it's still hard to tell at this stage, things may not be looking so good for the Ragin' Cajun.

The most significant Gambit movie news of late is that executive producer Simon Kinberg has now confirmed that the Ragin' Cajun is still on track for his own solo movie.

Speaking to Comicbook.com, Kinberg revealed that;

"[Gambit is] in active development. It's a movie that we hope will be ready to go by the end of this year and shoot next year. We have two or three X-Men related movies this year so it can wait for a moment. The process has been that Channing [Tatum] is as determined about getting the character right as Ryan Reynolds was about Deadpool and Hugh [Jackman] was about this Logan movie. We know that when we get those right, the movie succeeds so we want to make sure we get Gambit right because we want him to be the beginning of a whole new franchise."

On the one hand, it's reassuring that we might still see a Channing Tatum Gambit movie. Fox also seem to be committing to adapting Gambit properly for his first solo venture, even discussing the possibility of a future sequel. However, it's difficult to overlook the production's long gestation period, which has raised some alarm bells.

'Gambit' Release Date

Unless someone's about to change the entire timeline, Days of Future Past style, the aforementioned delays mean we won't be getting an official Gambit release date any time soon.

Producer Simon Kinberg remains adamant that Gambit will one day see the light of day, and Channing Tatum is still on board to star in the title role. Despite the flurry of news we've recently received, it's unlike we'll see a Gambit 2017 release date.

Given the fact Gambit is still in the nascent stages of production, we expect shooting to now start at some point in 2019. This means that the #XMen spinoff won't hit cinemas until later that year at the very earliest, allowing for post-production too.

'Gambit' Characters

— Gambit: First appearing in 1990, the Ragin' Cajun struck a chord with X-Men comic fans early on, developing a large fan base thanks to a prominent role on the popular '90s X-Men cartoon. Plus, that accent of his will literally charm the pants off you.

Gambit earned a spot on the team with his mutant ability to make objects explode by charging them with kinetic energy. His power will work on almost any object, but LeBeau particularly likes to use playing cards that he can throw at his enemies from a safe distance, presumably because they're light and gambling's fun.

Gambit is also skilled at one-on-one combat, using a bo staff to throw opponents off balance. His background as a thief comes in handy on the occasions when the X-Men need to go all Ocean's Eleven on the bad guys and carry out heists.

— Bella Donna Boudreaux: While not many Gambit characters have been officially confirmed, we do know that Léa Seydoux has been cast in the role of Bella Donna Boudreaux, the heroine and Gambit's primary love interest.

Bella and Remy first met at the adorable age of eight. In classic 'Romeo and Juliet' style, they later discovered that they were members of rival factions: the Assassins' Guild and the Thieves' Guild, respectively. An arranged marriage between the two eventually brought the pair tragedy, something that screenwriter Zetumer will probably be keen to touch on in the final film.

'Gambit' Cast

Ryan Reynolds may have chased the role of Deadpool for years, but Tatum has been talking about joining the Gambit cast ever since X-Men: The Last Stand was released back around 2005. Remy didn't make it to the final cut of that movie, which may have been a good thing considering how the film was received. Yet X-Men franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner sparked interest once again in 2014 when she revealed that Tatum was still in the running for the role.

Meanwhile, Taylor Kitsch took on the part of Gambit for the first spinoff in the franchise, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, receiving mixed reviews for his watered-down accent and average costume. Those who fear that Tatum will also struggle nailing the Cajun's accent need not worry as, like the character, his father also hails from New Orleans.

Recent rumors suggest that Tatum may have jumped ship and taken on a role for distinguished competitor DC, but he's put far too much time and effort into this project to leave now. There's no way he would have grown his hair out for the role and braved a public appearance if he wasn't serious.

The last we heard, Léa Seydoux was still attached to play Bella Donna Boudreaux in the lead female role, which is just as well considering her extensive action movie experience. Working in blockbuster films such as Spectre and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol has ensured that the French actress will have no problem firing energy blasts from her hands in the film's many action sequences.

'Gambit' Theories

Depending on the time frame of the story, Gambit theories suggest that Remy could meet Rogue, his main love interest and fellow teammate from the X-Men comics. The events of X-Men: Days of Future Past changed the timeline, so basically, the writers now have freedom to reimagine the events of the X-Universe in any way they see fit, making an appearance from Anna Paquin or another Rogue actress finally possible.

Rumors suggest that Deadpool could also pop up to join forces with Gambit, or just generally annoy him during his quest. Financially, it would make sense for Fox to include one of the studios most popular characters in the film, and Marvel could also use it to help promote a new comic they launched last year, starring Wade and Remy together.

'Gambit' Spoilers

While Gambit spoilers are yet to be revealed, reports suggest that RoboCop screenwriter Joshua Zetumer will take inspiration from Remy's comic book origin story, flashing back to his youth in the Big Easy.

If that's the case, then audiences will follow a young Remy LeBeau in his quest to unite the Thieves' Guild with the Assassins' Guild through his love for Bella Donna Boudreaux. Of course, things will go horribly wrong, because, comics. But what we want to know is: how does Channing Tatum's casting affect these plans?

Yes, Channing is a very good-looking 36-year-old. Nonetheless, even he will struggle to look as young as Remy LeBeau did in the comics during his origin. Of course, it's possible that CGI will be involved, or that the story will simply make all of the characters older.

What would make perfect sense is if Gambit took inspiration from #Deadpool, flashing back and forth between the past and the present to tell an origin story that doesn't feel like the typical origin movies that we've seen a thousand times before.

Villain wise, nothing has been officially revealed for Channing Tatum's Gambit. Although the post-credits scene of X-Men: Apocalypse suggests that Mister Sinister is heading to the X-Universe very soon, something which could spell trouble for Remy.

All of the talk revolving around this classic villain suggests he could appear in Deadpool 2, but Mister Sinister also shares significant comic book history with Remy. After all, Nathaniel Essex paid Gambit to steal diaries from the Weapon X program in his younger years.

Gambit doesn't have a large rogues gallery of his own, and usually fights alongside the X-Men as part of a team. Thus, Mister Sinister could make a huge impact on a solo Gambit (2017) film — although it's difficult to imagine Remy taking him on independently with any kind of success.

Watch 'Gambit' Online

Not even Channing Tatum knows when production will be completed on the film yet, so it's impossible to say at this stage when we'll have the chance to watch Gambit online. However, we're hoping it will happen before Tatum has to trade that bo staff in for a walking stick.

'Gambit' Director

For a long time, Channing Tatum was attached to the Gambit project without a director. Luckily, Fox eventually contracted Rupert Wyatt, the man behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes, to become the Gambit director.

Whether the project was cursed, Poltergeist-style, or whether that's just the way the hand was dealt, Gambit suffered a blow when Wyatt left the project, citing scheduling conflicts. This had a knock-on effect, caused severe delays. Eventually, Fox secured The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman for the gig, putting Gambit officially back on track after months in limbo.

Unfortunately, Liman then abandoned ship a few months later too, quitting Gambit (2017) to helm Justice League Dark for DC instead. Fox are now looking for someone replace Liman on the project and until they do, it looks like the Rajun' Cajun will remain side-benched for now. Currently though, rumors suggest that Gore Verbinski may take the project on following his success with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.