EXCLUSIVE: Channing Tatum is nowhere near giving up on his Gambitsolo movie.
After Taylor Kitsch brought the iconic X-Men character to life with the poorly received Origins: Wolverine spinoff film, Tatum took the reins of the Cajun superhero, originally set for a debut in X-Men: Apocalypse before being saved for a solo movie. In the wake of Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the film, which went through three different directors during its development, was ultimately shelved, though he would later get the chance to play the character in Deadpool & Wolverine, and in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
Now, in an interview with ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley for the Avengers: Doomsday lineup at Dunkin’ Donuts, which is now available nationwide, Tatum was asked about the chances of a Gambit solo movie happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The star began by doubting that he would want to direct the film, a move he and his producing partner Reid Carolin pushed for later in its development, confessing that it was “frustration and hubris” that the pair thought they could pull that off.
Channing Tatum: We had three different directors that were signed up to do it, and the first one, the studio, Fox, they had a fallout, so that one didn’t work out. The second one was just in development for so long with somebody that I was just like, “We got to move to making this thing.” So we separated ourselves, and then the third one almost got going with Gore Verbinski, and then creatively all three of us, the studio, him and me, we started in the same place, and then as it developed, we just all grew apart.
Channing Tatum: We had three different directors that were signed up to do it, and the first one, the studio, Fox, they had a fallout, so that one didn’t work out. The second one was just in development for so long with somebody that I was just like, “We got to move to making this thing.” So we separated ourselves, and then the third one almost got going with Gore Verbinski, and then creatively all three of us, the studio, him and me, we started in the same place, and then as it developed, we just all grew apart.
As Tatum recalled, once Gambit parted ways with its other potential directors, he and Carolin convinced 20th Century Fox to “go and write the movie that the studio wanted to make, and that we wanted to make,” hoping that they could then find a director who would “sign up for that exact script.” Ultimately, they “fell in love with the movie,” which is part of what drove them to push for one of them to direct.
Interestingly, Tatum revealed that Shawn Levy, who went on to direct Tatum’s long-awaited Gambit debut in Deadpool & Wolverine, “actually wanted to direct it,” praising their script as being “great,” which further fueled their self-confidence. However, the star expressed that they are “so lucky that we did not do that,” as he feels neither he nor Carolin “were ready to direct a movie like that,” and confessed they “would’ve failed miserably“:
Channing Tatum: Now that I know exactly what directing is and how complicated it is and how these movies specifically are so hard, you really need to know what you’re doing. It can’t be your first movie. You’ve got to really get a lot of different facets under your belt and have a lot of experience because making one of these movies is nearly impossible. Some people really have the formula down and really know how to do it, and some others struggle. It would’ve just been a catastrophe on a level that I would never have recovered from.
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Channing Tatum: Now that I know exactly what directing is and how complicated it is and how these movies specifically are so hard, you really need to know what you’re doing. It can’t be your first movie. You’ve got to really get a lot of different facets under your belt and have a lot of experience because making one of these movies is nearly impossible. Some people really have the formula down and really know how to do it, and some others struggle. It would’ve just been a catastrophe on a level that I would never have recovered from.
Returning to the potential of a Gambit solo movie going forward, Tatum affirmed that he “would love there to be” one in which he gets to keep playing the player, even revealing that he’s “fighting” for the chance to do so. His one condition, though, is to get a “very, very good director to realize it.”
This isn’t the first time that Tatum has opened up about the scrapped Gambit movie after getting to play the X-Men character in Deadpool & Wolverine. Tatum confirmed in October 2025 that it was written as an “R-rated romantic comedy” and would include “mutants having sex,” but that this was part of the reason behind why it didn’t get produced, as he felt Disney was not yet ready to take a risk on R-rated Marvel productions.
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Though this may have been true when the studio initially shelved the project, the success Disney has enjoyed since certainly paints a very different picture for the Gambit movie’s chances. Of the MCU’s post-Avengers: Endgame era, Deadpool & Wolverine remains their third-most successful film with its $1.338 billion box office haul, also previously sitting as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all-time before being overtaken by Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey this past summer.
Additionally, as revealed by Ryan Reynolds, Marvel was immediately wowed by Tatum’s performance as Gambit in the Deadpool threequel, all the more clear by the fact he is returning for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Tatum has clarified, though, that his performance has been shifted from his previous work, avoiding the same “full Cajun” accent that made him a humorous figure to watch in Reynolds’ film, instead leaning into the more dramatic nature of the multiverse epic.
Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.
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The one main hurdle that Tatum has for his potential Gambit movie to be revived is that Marvel is quickly gaining steam on their X-Men reboot film ahead of its May 2028 release. In the comics, Gambit has a unique romantic relationship with Rogue, set to be played by Obsession breakout Inde Navarrette, and with them being of close age, the 21-year gap between Navarrette and Tatum could prove trickier to navigate. However, with much of his Gambit’s origins still unknown, and DC frequently finding success with Elseworlds stories, Marvel could still pull from their rival’s playbook to fulfill Tatum’s hope.
The Dunkin’ Avengers: Doomsday lineup is available at participating restaurants nationwide starting Nov. 4, featuring beverages, treats, and limited-edition collectibles inspired by the film’s heroes and villains.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a long-running multimedia franchise drawn from the heroes, villains, and narratives of Marvel Comics. The MCU formally began with 2008’s Iron Man, with other successes forming the basis for the contemporary path from comic page to screen, including over 30 films and 20 TV shows.
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