Gambit

ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie/TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, we explore what went down with Gambit this week, check out the latest updates on the DC movie universe, and drool over that upcoming Hulkbuster figure.

Earlier this week news broke that Channing Tatum had abruptly (at least from an outsider’s perspective) exited the Gambit solo film. No reason was given, although with the reported, proposed budget coming in at $160 million (that’s $10 million more than X-Men: Days of Future Past), it seemed fair to speculate that Tatum’s departure had something to do with budget issues. You can breathe a sigh of relief now, though, because Tatum is back on the Gambit pony.

Lots of superhero news today, but not all of it is good (depending on your perspective): Channing Tatum has officially exited the Gambit solo movie, even though the actor recently appeared with the X-Men and Deadpool casts at Comic-Con, where he participated in a very memorable group selfie.

Deadpool wasn’t the only character who wasn’t properly represented in X-Men Origins: Wolverine — Gambit was also fairly disappointing in that film, leading many fans to wonder if we’d ever see a decent version of the character on the big screen. We’re finally getting our wish with Channing Tatum in the role of the Cajun mutant, and new info on the film not only reveals that it will begin shooting this fall, but gives us some idea of the players involved.

Now that Magic Mike XXL has been unleashed in theaters, we’re all moving on to Channing Tatum’s next big project: Gambit. The X-Men superhero’s solo movie was one we never thought could reasonably happen, especially after the horror of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But we’re in a new, better X-Men era, and Tatum — along with his producing partner Reid Carolin — are giving us even more hope with their latest update on the film.

Although it’s been rumored that Channing Tatum’s Gambit and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine might appear in X-Men: Apocalypse, we now have confirmation that one of them will definitely not be showing up after all. According to Channing Tatum, you shouldn’t get your hopes up about a Gambit cameo in Bryan Singer’s upcoming sequel.

It’s no secret that a bunch of very interesting directors said no when Channing Tatum brought Gambit to their attention, but the film’s star/producer/cheerleader has finally gone and done it. He’s actually landed a genuinely interesting director to call the shots on the X-Men spin-off about a Cajun thief who throws exploding playing cards. Good luck, Rupert Wyatt. This is in your hands now.

ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie/TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, Channing Tatum can’t find a director for Gambit, Frank Grillo wraps on Captain America: Civil War, and something strange shows up on the Suicide Squad set.

Yes, Channing Tatum is still planning to make that Gambit movie. He just needs a finished screenplay. And a director. And an angle that helps us forget that Gambit is one of the lamest X-Men to ever achieve inexplicable popularity. Casting the intensely likable and charismatic Tatum goes a long away toward achieving that last goal and in a new interview, the Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street star revealed that the first draft of the script has been turned in ... and that the movie will be an origin story, albeit one that won’t play by the normal superhero movie rules.

ScreenCrush’s Comic Strip is a weekly roundup of the hottest superhero movie/TV news items. From Marvel to DC and points in between, if it pertains to costumed comic book heroes, we’re covering it here, bringing you our expert analysis. This week, take your first blurry look at Jared Leto as the Joker, check out Michelle MacLaren’s crazy Wonder Woman ideas, and learn which Marvel character Timothy Olyphant could have played.