‘Magic Mike’ actor Channing Tatum has confirmed that he will not be appearing as Gambit in the highly anticipated ‘X-men: Apocalypse.’
There have been numerous speculations that his character will be making an appearance in the third installment of the mutant hero film franchise. However, the actor ended these rumors during his guest appearance on Reddit’s Ask Me Anything this week.
When asked whether his kinetic energy-yielding character will have a part in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, Tatum replied with: "No ma'am, or sir. I definitely will not."
Speculations about Gambit appearing on the upcoming ‘X-Men’ movie had been fueled by director Bryan Singer’s statement that he would prefer to have the card-throwing superhuman in the sequel.
Nonetheless, Tatum’s take on Gambit will debut on his standalone movie, which is scheduled to hit cinemas on Oct. 7, 2016.
Gambit is one of the more recently created characters associated with the X-Men, developed by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee in 1990.
While the 35-year-old actor is currently promoting his upcoming movie ‘Magic Mike XXL’, he has also been open to answering questions about making his debut as Gambit onscreen.
When it comes to playing such fan-favorite character, he considers Gambit to have an unconventional origin story. He also described the anti-hero as: “kind of a tortured soul and he’s not a good guy. But he’s not a bad guy, either. He walks his own path. And of course he plays cards and drinks and is a martial-arts badass!”
The film has also recently settled on Rupert Wyatt, who previously worked on ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, to take on the director’s chair.
“We finally found someone that I really do believe wants to make Gambit,” Tatum said about Wyatt working on the upcoming movie. "And I just really think because Gambit is not the most popular or the biggest hero, I think there’s a really unique opportunity… it’s always good to figure how to change the form."
Meanwhile, ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ continues to make the headlines after Singer drops clues and teasers once in a while through social media.
As confirmed, the third installment will bring on major changes for the mutant-superhero universe. By continuing the story from ‘Days of Future Past’, the new film is expected to have a crossover to related projects that are in the works, including ‘Gambit’ and ‘Deadpool.’
‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ is set for an official premiere on May 27, 2016.
