When Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters, Marvel fans were not expecting to see many of the movie’s biggest cameos. However, it was especially surprising to see Channing Tatum finally play Gambit with an appearance that became a hilarious meme, mostly thanks to a Cajun accent that’s even been compared to the Minions. Say what you will about Tatum’s Gambit, the actor looks like he trained really hard to play the Marvel role, and a new video proves it.
If you didn’t already know it, Channing Tatum had dancing in his bones from an early age – one of his first leading roles was in the 2006 movie Step Up. This experience totally shows in this video that showcases the actor learning all of Gambit’s action moves. Check it out:
While in the movie it looks like Gambit is gracefully kicking butt with the bad guys from The Void in Deadpool & Wolverine, this training video is totally giving Step Up. Fighting choreography is much more like a dance than one might think, and Tatum definitely still moves like a dancer.
Along with being in the first two Step Up movies, the actor is also well known for being in the Magic Mike movies, which is inspired by his own history being a stripper before getting his Hollywood big break. Tatum starred and produced all three Magic Mike movies to give audiences a look into the world of male stripping, which, yes, has tons of choreography, too.
While it may seem random that Channing Tatum played Gambit alongside the return of Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm, there’s actually a wild story behind the whole thing. Tatum was signed on to star in a Gambit movie back in 2014 as part of Fox’s X-Men universe, but the movie remained in development hell for years until Fox and Disney merged in 2019 and the Gambit movie was then officially shelved.
Since Deadpool & Wolverine is all about forgotten characters from the Fox merger in so many ways, the opportunity presented itself for Gambit to make his MCU debut, and Channing Tatum absolutely embodied the hero. In the comment section of the training video (via Instagram), there’s a ton of support for more Tatum in the MCU. One person said “We need a Gambit movie …Channing Tatum has proven he’s got what it takes….”
He made a name for himself, that’s for sure. Plus, Marvel released a bonus Gambit scene that had fans freaking out, and Ryan Reynolds said the character was someone “Chan was born to play.” While a Gambit film isn’t among upcoming Marvel movies on the release date calendar, we’re so curious if Channing Tatum will return to play the Marvel hero someday!
