Channing Tatum Will Play Gambit in Standalone 'X-Men' Movie

It's official: Channing Tatum will play Gambit in an X-Men movie. We got the sense that this was in the works last month, but X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner confirmed the news on Monday. On top of that, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Tatum would play Gambit in a spinoff movie centered on the character instead of just being a part of an ensemble cast in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Multiple sources say that Tatum will get a stand-alone spinoff, with his version of Gambit being introduced in X-Men: Apocalypse. The stand-alone film is still in development, however, and no director has been attached. 

When asked what kind of an actor she was looking at to play Gambit, Shuler Donner said, "It's Channing." 

Asked to elaborate on what makes Tatum right for the role, Shuler Donner said, "Well you know, he's a rogue — Channing — he's a rascal, just like Remy LeBeau, and he can handle the action, we all know that! And he's got a really good heart." 

"He'll be great for Gambit," she added, "and he's a Southerner, too! He's not from New Orleans, but he is a Southerner, and he understands that world."

THR also noted that Channing's Gambit would be introduced in X-Men: Apocalypse, which is scheduled to open on May 27, 2016. The Gambit movie doesn't have a script or director yet, but I'm really, really pulling for Jonah Hill to get cast in some way. Does Gambit have a squishy sidekick?