The Unmade GAMBIT Movie: A Tale of Endless Delays and Lost Potential

The Gambit movie is one of Hollywood’s most infamous cases of a film that had everything in place—star power, a beloved character, studio backing—yet never made it to the screen. A combination of creative differences and changing leadership meant that Gambit, the charming mutant from Marvel comics, never got his solo movie on the big screen. But fate had other things in mind for the kinetic mutant.

Gambit, whose real name is Remy LeBeau, first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #266 in 1990. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, Gambit quickly became a fan favorite. His Cajun background, roguish charm, and kinetic card-throwing powers made him a standout character in the X-Men universe. Fans had long been eager to see the character appear in a film adaptation, beyond his underdeveloped portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), where he was played by Taylor Kitsch.

In 2014, the hype for a solo Gambit film was ignited when Channing Tatum, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time, expressed his desire to play the character. Fox Studios, which still held the rights to the X-Men characters before the Disney acquisition, was keen to capitalize on the star power of Tatum. The actor’s charisma, physicality, and Southern roots made him a seemingly perfect fit for the role. By mid-2014, Tatum had officially signed on to both star in and produce the film, which was a major vote of confidence from Fox.

Tatum’s attachment to the project signaled to fans that the studio was serious about Gambit. At the time, Deadpool (2016) was also in development, and Fox saw both characters as part of a potential new wave of X-Men spinoff films that would appeal to a different demographic—more adult, edgier, and more comedic.

Fox originally slated Gambit for a 2016 release, and production was set to begin in late 2015. Rupert Wyatt, who had previously helmed Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), was hired as the film’s director in June 2015. Wyatt was an exciting choice because he had experience handling large-scale blockbusters with a strong focus on character development.

However, by September 2015, Wyatt exited the project. While he officially cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason for his departure, reports suggested that creative differences between Wyatt and the studio over the script and budget led to his exit. It was said that Fox wanted a more conventional superhero film, whereas Wyatt wanted something more experimental, leaning into Gambit’s criminal and heist-driven storylines.

After Wyatt’s departure, Doug Liman, known for The Bourne Identity (2002) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014), stepped in as the new director in November 2015. Liman’s expertise with action-heavy films seemed like a promising fit, and the project was pushed to a 2017 release to accommodate the changes.

Liman and Tatum worked on developing a fresh script, reportedly leaning into Gambit’s origins as a suave, thieving anti-hero, with elements of a heist film. However, even with Liman on board, progress was slow, and by August 2016, Liman left the project as well, choosing to work on Justice League Dark for DC instead.

By 2017, fans were beginning to lose hope, but in October, the film got another breath of life when Gore Verbinski, the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), signed on. Verbinski’s involvement was significant because of his reputation for creating visually stunning and high-energy films. His version of Gambit was rumored to be leaning heavily into the New Orleans setting and playing up the character’s Cajun heritage, all while retaining the heist-film angle.

Once again, however, creative differences began to emerge. By January 2018, Verbinski also exited the project, and this time, it was apparent that something was fundamentally wrong with how the film was being managed. Script rewrites continued to cause delays, and rumors suggested that the studio wanted to make Gambit more of a straightforward superhero movie, while Verbinski had pushed for a darker, more stylistically unique vision.

The final and most significant blow to Gambit came with the Disney-Fox merger, which was announced in December 2017 and finalized in March 2019. With Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the entire X-Men universe fell under the purview of Marvel Studios. At this point, Marvel was already planning its next phases following the success of the Avengers saga and was in the process of figuring out how to incorporate the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The merger effectively put all Fox-developed X-Men projects on hold, including Gambit. Although Tatum continued to express his commitment to the project, the leadership at Disney and Marvel had little interest in pursuing the film as it was.

In 2019, Tatum revealed that he had even considered directing Gambit himself after Verbinski’s departure, but by then, it was too late.

In 2023, Tatum received the call to officially appear as Gambit in Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). Tatum was finally able to don the character’s costume and appear in an action sequence, much to the delight of fans and audiences worldwide. While there’s no official word on his return in future projects, a role in Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) would be fitting.

The unmade Gambit film remains one of Hollywood’s great “what ifs.” While Channing Tatum was passionate about bringing the Cajun mutant to life in his own adventure, the project was bogged down by shifting creative visions, directorial changes, and corporate mergers. While Gambit’s solo adventure will remain a dream deferred, for now, Tatum, and fans, can find comfort in knowing he was able to appear as the comic-accurate Cajun in a $1 billion-grossing film.