American actor Channing Tatum really wants to get the "Gambit" standalone movie done, and even though the project has been passed up repeatedly by several directors, they finally found someone to helm the film - Rupert Wyatt.
The actor spoke with fans in a special "Ask Me Anything session on Reddit, and he told them why it was so important to get the movie done.
"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."
The first X-Men character who had a standalone film is none other than Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. The clawed and invincible superhero is arguably the X-Men's most popular mutant, and he is closely followed by the thieving and womanizing Gambit.
Before Wyatt came into the picture, the "Gambit" film was actually given to both Bennett Miller (who already worked with Tatum in 'Foxcatcher') and Darren Aronofsky (once tapped to direct 'The Wolverine'), but they both turned in down for reasons not known.
The project was then passed on to Gareth Evans of "The Raid," followed by J.C. Chandor (who wrote and directed 'A Most Violent Year'), but for reasons beyond everybody's comprehension, both also turned down the project.
The film already has a script written by Josh Zetumer, who wrote the "Robocop" remake, and "Gambit" also has Lauren Schuler Donner and Simon Kinberg ready to produce. It has been given an October 2016 release date.
Gambit comes from Louisiana and has a distinctive Cajun accent. Before he came to know the X-Men, he was actually a part of a thieves' guild, so the other mutants were very wary of him. Not only is he a thief, but he is a certified ladies' man too, and he has been known to have an on-again off-again relationship with Rogue.
As for his powers, Gambit has the ability to mentally create, control, and manipulate pure kinetic energy, based on his liking. He also possesses several incredible skills such as card-throwing, hand-to-hand combat, and battling with the use of a staff. One of his signature moves is throwing playing cards and other objects with kinetic energy, and using these as explosive projectiles.
