from Chris Snelgrove
| Published
Ever since Channing Tatum stole all his scenes Deadpool and Wolverinehis fans have been clamoring for a standalone Gambit movie. This is quite natural. Not only was Tatum funny in the recent film, but he was tapped to play the character for Fox even before the MCU began, so giving him a belated solo film might seem like a no-brainer. But that’s just not in the cards, my friendsand I’m here to tell you why a solo Gambit movie is the worst idea since you let Brett Ratner direct X-Men 3.
This mutant is getting old
Channing Tatum is a talented performer with a real passion for the character, so why do I think having a Gambit movie is a terrible idea? For one thing, the 44-year-old is a little too old for the role. Although it made sense for him to be a bit older as someone trapped in a multiversal wasteland Deadpool and Werewolffans should remember that Marvel wants big stars to sign 10-year contracts. He’s obviously in great shape (just ask Magic Mike fans), but do we really want to see Tatum in his mid-50s trying to keep up with his younger stars?
Speaking of younger stars, it’s worth remembering this Disney is getting ready to unleash its merry band of mutants on the MCU, and most of them (except Wolverine, of course) will be played by young actors new to their roles. If Rogue is played by someone in her 20s, it would be embarrassingly awkward to have her (Le)beau be someone almost twice her age.
Gambit is not the ace in the deck
But let’s just say having another middle-aged guy on the youth team makes sense… even then, Channing Tatum’s Gambit movie is still dead in the water. That’s because Gambit is a bit like the Hulk in that he’s at his best as part of an ensemble where his larger-than-life personality can bounce off others in fun ways. It’s fun to see him flirt with Rogue or tease Wolverine, but without the other colorful characters, Gambit is a guy with a barely discernible accent and a party trick set of mutant abilities.
And the Marvel comic writers probably knew this long before Channing Tatum was even considered for a Gambit movie. Historically, Gambit’s solo comics didn’t last very long, and his most memorable comics outside of the X-Men books were one-offs where he teamed up with characters like Storm and Deadpool. Real talk: if this character can’t sustain enough interest from his biggest fans to sustain a solo title, he’ll never generate enough mainstream interest to turn a big-budget movie into a blockbuster.
Nobody wants that origin story
This leads to the final problem with Channing Tatum headlining a Gambit movie: the character’s origin story will be difficult to transform into the usual Marvel a movie in which Disney expects to sell countless action figures and make a billion dollars at the box office. A movie about the machinations of the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild might have a very interesting story for the superfans, but it won’t have the enthusiasm that the general public expects from a franchise filled with murderous set pieces and countless explosions. Forget about aliens attacking New York…that would be a movie about small-time thieves backstabbing themselves in New Orleans, and that’s unlikely to win over moviegoers already reeling from superhero fatigue.
For the record, I think Channing Tatum is a great actor and his performance in the Deadpool and Wolverine was one of the highlights of this hit movie. But this is one case where stretching a memorable cameo into an entire solo film would be a terrible idea for many reasons, including that it functionally takes the role away from a younger actor who would gel better with the upcoming cast of MCU X-Men. And keeping Tatum out of a future Gambit movie has another benefit, which might be the most important of all: We won’t have to hear an accent so inscrutable that it requires subtitles for the entire movie.
