Channing Tatum spent years trying to get his Gambit movie off the ground, in hopes of being part of Fox’s X-Men universe. He even considered directing the movie himself for a while. It never happened, of course, until last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine finally gave him the chance to play the Ragin’ Cajun, and he’s set to do it again in Avengers: Doomsday.
Tatum is on the road talking about his upcoming film Roofman, but he was asked by Variety about Gambit and he said this next appearance won’t be as comedic as the last time.
Tatum said “I’m not gonna go full Cajun.” [Directors Joe and Anthony Russo] “want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full ‘Deadpool.’ They want to keep the drama and keep it tight. When Gambit gets serious — when he drops the Mardi Gras mask — things do matter.”
How long Tatum gets to play Gambit in the MCU is unclear. It’s unfortunate that it’s happening now as Jake Schreier is prepping an X-Men reboot, because it suggests a complete overhaul with a young cast. Tatum is unlikely to fit in that scenario. Perhaps he and other Fox-verse characters don’t make it out of Avengers: Doomsday alive?
Roofman‘s world premiere is this week on September 6th, with a theatrical release set for October 10th. Avengers: Doomsday opens December 18th 2026.
