Over the next few years, the comic book movie genre is going to play a huge role on the blockbuster scene, with individual studios putting out as many as three titles a year each. In order to prevent all of these features from feeling stale and repetitive, some of the projects are definitely going to have to present material that comes from outside the box and changes the game - and it's for this exact reason that Channing Tatum believes his upcoming X-Men spin-off movie Gambit is important and needs to happen.
Promoting the upcoming release of Magic Mike XXL, Tatum took part in a special "Ask Me Anything" session today on Reddit, and it was when he was asked to say absolutely anything about the Gambit project that he expressed his feelings about the movie's significance. Referencing the fact that the film hired director Rupert Wyatt to helm earlier this week, Tatum wrote,
we finally found someone that I really do believe wants to make Gambit, it will be the second standalone character. And i just really think because Gambit is not the most popular or the biggest hero, I think there's a really unique opportunity. Marvel's done a lot of great movies that have made a ridiculous amount of money, and it's always good to figure how to change the form.
Technically Gambit will be the third "standalone character" to get his own movie in the X-Men franchise, as Deadpool will really be the second after his movie arrives in theaters next February, but that doesn't really undercut the larger message that Channing Tatum is trying to get across here. While he's speaking in very vague terms, it seems like he has a very different approach in mind for the 2016 comic book movie that will help shake up the genre. We still don't know how exactly it will be doing that, but it's intriguing none-the-less.
For those unfamiliar with the character, Gambit (real name Remy LeBeau) was introduced in 1990 and is a mutant who has the ability to create and manipulate kinetic energy. Though originally a thief, he wound up joining the X-Men team, but had to spend a good deal of time earning their trust. When it comes to fighting, he is best known for combining his special abilities with his card-throwing skills, essentially creative explosives that he can toss with deadly accuracy.
Channing Tatum has been linked to the role of Gambit since January of last year, and while things have seemed to move very slowly behind the scenes, hopefully it will be able to stay on schedule now that Rupert Wyatt is aboard. 20th Century Fox has announced that they will be releasing the movie on October 7, 2016, so we can expect production to start up in the next few months.
