Written by Chris Snelgrove | issued
Ever since Channing Tatum stole every scene he was in? deadpool & wolverineFans are clamoring for him to do a Gambit movie on his own. This is not surprising. Not only has Tatum been very entertaining in recent movies, but he was cast in the role by Fox even before the MCU began, so giving him a belated solo movie might seem like a no-brainer. However, it’s not on the card, so female amiAnd I’m here to tell you why a Gambit standalone movie is the worst idea since Brett Ratner was given the reins. X-Men 3.
this mutant is old
Channing Tatum is a talented performer with a true passion for the character, but why does he think doing a Gambit movie would be a terrible idea? First, at 44 years old, he was too young to play the role. I’m a little too old to act. It would make sense for him to be a little older as someone trapped in the wilds of many worlds; deadpool & wolverineFans need to remember that Marvel wants its biggest stars to sign 10-year contracts. He’s obviously in great shape (listen) magic mic (fans) But do we really want to see Tatum in his mid-50s trying to catch up with younger stars?
Speaking of young stars, it’s worth remembering that Disney is preparing to unleash a posse of merry mutants into the MCU, and most of them (aside from Wolverine, of course) will be played by young actors new to the role. . If Rogue were to be played by a woman in her 20s, it would be embarrassingly awkward to have her (LeBeau) be someone nearly twice her age.
Gambit is not the ace of the deck
But let’s just say it makes sense to have another middle-aged man on a team of young people… Still, 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 perfect as part of an ensemble where his outsized personality bounces off others in a fun way. It’s fun to watch him flirt with Rogue and annoy Wolverine, but without the other colorful characters, Gambit is just a guy with an almost indecipherable accent and a party-trick set of mutant abilities.
And Marvel comic book writers probably knew this long before Channing Tatum was even considered for a Gambit movie. Historically, Gambit’s standalone comic series didn’t last very long, and his most memorable comics outside of the X-Men books were one-shots in which he teamed up with characters like Storm and Deadpool . The real story: If this character can’t maintain enough interest from big fans to sustain a standalone title, it’s unlikely to generate enough general audience interest to make a big-budget movie a blockbuster. You’ll never be able to.
No one wants an origin story like this
Which brings us to the final issue with Channing Tatum starring in the Gambit movie. It would be difficult to turn the character’s origin story into a regular Marvel movie, where Disney sells countless action figures and hopes to gross $1 billion at the box office. The movie, which depicts a conspiracy between the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild, may have plenty of lore that will be interesting to superfans, but it doesn’t have the same frenzy that general audiences have come to expect from a series filled with killer set pieces and countless explosions. Probably not. Forget about aliens attacking New York…this is going to be a movie about two thieves who betray each other in New Orleans, and it’s going to blow the minds of moviegoers already reeling from superhero fatigue. It is unlikely to be caught.
For the record, I think Channing Tatum is a great actor. deadpool & wolverine It was one of the highlights of that hit movie. However, this is not the case for a number of reasons, including that extending a memorable cameo to an entire solo movie would functionally take the role away from a younger actor who would be better integrated into the upcoming MCU X-Men team. One case where it’s a terrible idea. And there’s another benefit to keeping Tatum out of future Gambit movies. This may be the most important. No more listening to thick, unintelligible accents that require subtitles throughout the movie.
