Ryan Reynolds Says Marvel Execs Are “Obsessed” With Channing Tatum’s Gambit
After nearly 20 years, Channing Tatum might finally get his solo Marvel outing, thanks to a little help from pal Ryan Reynolds.
Following Tatum’s appearance as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds teased that Marvel executives are “obsessed” with the performance and he has “hope” for Gambit’s onscreen future.
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“I honestly don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they’re obsessed with him in that role,” he said on Entertainment Weekly‘s Awardist podcast. “It’s kind of like the same situation I went through. Once you show that it works well, that’s really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action.”
In 2014, test footage leaked of Reynolds’ performance as Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson), the fan reaction pushing 20th Century Fox to greenlight the 2016 first installment in his own Marvel franchise. Tatum debuted as Gambit (aka Remy LeBeau), the Cajun card-slinger who can bend kinetic energy, in this year’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
Reynolds added, “And Channing is so singular in how he plays that character, but also he’s so beautiful physically, the way he moves and the way he can pick up steps.”
Tatum was meant to play Gambit in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), but the character didn’t make it into the film. Due to a scheduling conflict for Tatum, Taylor Kitsch played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which also featured Reynolds’ debut as Deadpool.
For the past decade, Tatum has been attached to a potential solo outing, which has bounced around among multiple directors.
Tatum’s surprise cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine also featured the returns of Chris Evans’ Human Torch, Wesley Snipes’ Blade and Jennifer Garner as Elektra, as well as Dafne Keen as X-23.
In July, Tatum raved that Reynolds “fought for me and Gambit,” adding: “I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy.”
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