Ex-man? Channing Tatum may no longer play card-flinging mutant Gambit in X-Men spinoff after Fox deal begins to unravel 

By Ross Mcdonagh For Dailymail.com

Published: 02:03 EST, 29 July 2015 | Updated: 14:43 EST, 29 July 2015

It seems like the deck may now be stacked against Channing Tatum appearing in the much-anticipated Gambit movie.

The 35-year-old hunk was set to play the card-flinging mutant thief-turned-crimefighter in an upcoming X-Men spinoff.

However it has been reported that talks between the Magic Mike star and studio 20th Century Fox have begun to unravel.

Scroll down for video 

Foolish Gambit? Channing Tatum may be pulling out of Fox's X-Men spinoff after talks stalled

Foolish Gambit? Channing Tatum may be pulling out of Fox's X-Men spinoff after talks stalled

A source close to the project told TheWrap that the beefcake actor's reps are still in active discussions, but added that 'something is up'.

Gambit, whose real name is Remy LeBeau, is a thief and a ladies man. 

He possesses the power to charge objects with kinetic energy, which somehow causes them to become explosive. His trademark is to do this with playing cards, then throws them at enemies with deadly accuracy.

The character was played by Taylor Kitsch - who was once tipped to reprise the role - in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman, which was also saw Ryan Reynolds' debut as Deadpool.

What's the deal? Gambit, whose real name is Remy LeBeau, is one of the original X-Men, and can charge objects with kinetic energy to make throw-able explosives - usually playing cards

What's the deal? Gambit, whose real name is Remy LeBeau, is one of the original X-Men, and can charge objects with kinetic energy to make throw-able explosives - usually playing cards

Both Remy and Channing come from America's the deep south; the former from New Orleans, Louisiana; the latter from Alabama before a move to Mississippi.

Besides his glowing pink playing cards, long trench coat, bo-staff, finger-less gloves and on/off relationship with Rogue, Gambit's most recognizeable trait is his thick Cajun accent, a long-time point of amusement among comic fans when his speech is written out phonetically.

Tatum confirmed he was set to play the X-man - as well as the impending release date -  on Twitter in January when he posted: 'How do you say October 7, 2016 in Cajun?'

The actor told Empire last year that the character was his favourite superhero, adding he was confident he could pull off the OTT accent.

No longer on the cards: The character was played by Taylor Kitsch in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and he was at one stage tipped to reprise the role

No longer on the cards: The character was played by Taylor Kitsch in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and he was at one stage tipped to reprise the role

'I would like to play Gambit. Gambit's my favorite,' he said. 'I'm from New Orleans, around that area. My dad's from New Orleans, and I like to do a Cajun accent. I could do it for real.'

'No knock on Taylor Kitsch, though, 'cause I actually like his Gambit,' he added. But I've always lived around Cajun people. 

'Gambit was always like the woman-loving, cigarette-smoking, drinking guy. He was the punk rock of all the superheroes. He's a thief. He kind of rode the line.'

In the same mag, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner said she was 'dying' to do a Gambit movie with Channing Tatum. 

'That doesn’t have to be a great big movie. It’s a thief in New Orleans, it’s a whole different story,' she said. 'He’s on board, and I have to get the studio on board. How can anyone resist Channing? He’s such a sweetheart.'

But now that iteration of the film - as well as Channing's rumoured cameo in May's X-Men Apocalypse - looks to be in danger of not happening. 

Chere: Gambit's most recognisable trait is his thick Cajun accent, a long-time point of amusement among comic fans when his speech is written out phonetically - and one which Chaning was confident of replicating

Chere: Gambit's most recognisable trait is his thick Cajun accent, a long-time point of amusement among comic fans when his speech is written out phonetically - and one which Chaning was confident of replicating

Comments (39)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now