The internet almost imploded when The Wrap released a report detailing that actor Channing Tatum was looking to pull out of the upcoming Gambit film. This came as a shock to almost everyone, since Tatum’s enthusiasm is what got the project off the ground in the first place. It seems what really happened is that the media was made a part of Tatum’s negotiations.
It was reported today by THR, that Tatum is officially on board as Remy Lebeau, aka Gambit, for Fox Studios. However, it seems that last week’s reported troubles were true, just exagerated. According to today’s report, this is what the negotiation hold-up was over:
One thing that needed figuring out was the extent of Tatum’s involvement in the X-Men universe. Fox sees Tatum’s Gambit, a mutant who harnesses kinetic energy, as one of the anchor characters of the X-universe, akin to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, someone who would anchor his own movies and appear in numerous others. It’s a commitment that could theoretically last more than a decade.
Next year’s X-Men: Apocalypse is the beginning of a new start for the franchise, with a brand new cast of younger characters, designed to carry the series into the future. Meanwhile Hugh Jackman is preparing for his finally solo outing as Wolverine (while likely making a cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse), so the shift of focus and power has begun for Fox’s Marvel characters. While Gambit is not a major player in the comics in recent years, locking up Tatum signals Gambit, along with Deadpool, will be two cornerstones of the growing cinematic universe.
So prepare to see the see card-wielding mutant pop up all over the place. In order for that to happen, first Tatum and Fox needed to come to an agreement on compensation. According to THR’s report, part of the holdup was because Tatum was seeking backend compensation for his participation in Gambit. It is rare for an actor to score a percentage of the gross income of the film they are in. However Robert Downey Jr. is the most recent success story that most acting in superhero films wish to emulate.
Now that Tatum is firmly onboard, expect the ball to begin rolling fast on the production of Gambit. Rupert Wyatt is in place as director, which has peaked the interest of many after what he did to revitalize the Ape franchise, in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The film has a release date in October of next year and shooting is already in place to begin in Louisiana, so expect casting and story details to begin materializing soon.
Gambit will be in theaters on October 7th, 2016.
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Source: THR, Comics Explained
Art by: Boss Logix