Channing Tatum’s Canceled Gambit Movie Had a '30s Screwball Romantic Comedy Vibe Set in the Superhero World

Lizzy Caplan reveals Channing Tatum's scrapped Gambit film was envisioned as a 1930s screwball romantic comedy within the superhero genre.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, Caplan, who was slated to co-star with Tatum, described the project as possessing "a really cool idea." The film, ultimately shelved after the 2019 Disney-Fox merger, marked a significant setback for Tatum's long-held ambition to portray the popular X-Men character. Tatum's journey to bring Gambit to the screen, including his surprise cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, has been well-documented, with Tatum himself expressing past trauma related to the failed project.

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Caplan confirmed her involvement, stating that she had signed on and even participated in pre-production meetings with Tatum. "We got down the road, we were gonna shoot it," she shared. "I think there was a start date.”

Producer Simon Kinberg previously hinted at the film's comedic direction, telling IGN in 2018 that it would have a "romantic or sex comedy vibe," aligning with Gambit's character traits. "When you look at Gambit," Kinberg explained, "he’s a hustler and a womanizer and we just felt like there was an attitude, a swagger to him, that lent itself to romantic comedy."

Caplan corroborated this vision, stating, "They wanted to do, like, a '30s kind of screwball romantic comedy set in that world, which would have been really fun."

The future of Tatum's Gambit remains uncertain, though Marvel Studios has confirmed the X-Men's eventual integration into the MCU. Last August, Ryan Reynolds' tweet featuring a high-quality version of a Deadpool & Wolverine scene fueled further speculation among fans.

Warning! Deadpool & Wolverine spoilers follow.