Channing Tatum was recently cast as the merman in the Splash remake but let's not forget about that Gambit movie just yet.
Producer Simon Kinberg previously called Fox's Gambit solo film “a heist movie and a sexy thriller in a way.” Speaking with /Film recently he gave a few updates reminding us that good things come to those who wait:
“I think the truth is when you have these movies that need a very special and unique tone, it takes a little while to find that tone,” Kinberg said. “Deadpool feels like it exploded out of nowhere but it was a ten-year development process on that movie. I think it was honed over those ten years. I hope that Gambit doesn”t take ten years but it takes a little honing to get that tone and that voice exactly right. The character has such a specific voice in the comic in the same way that Deadpool has a specific voice in the comic, that we want to make sure that we capture that voice on the page. Really it”s just about getting a screenplay that is worthy of that character and I think we”re really close right now.”
The road to Gambit has been a strange and winding one. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner has had her eye on Tatum for the classic X-Men role since at least early 2014 and Tatum has certainly been talking about his interest just as long. Rupert Wyatt was brought on to direct with a script from Robocop reboot scribe Josh Zetumer based on a treatment by Marvel's own Chris Claremont.
In mid-2015 the film also grabbed Lea Seydoux to star opposite Tatum as Belladonna Boudreaux, a.k.a. Bella, but a short while later it was reported Tatum was exiting the project (then subsequently closing on his deal to play Gambit officially). And then Wyatt decided he would step away and Doug Liman's name was being floated as the new director.
Reports from this year include delays for the production to even start thanks to Tatum and his producing partner Reid Carolin looking to rewrite the script, and Kinberg commenting on a possible release trajectory saying “assuming it actually does start filming in the first half of 2017, we”re probably looking at an early 2018 release date or maybe very late 2017 at the earliest.”
Personally, Tatum didn't scream Remy Etienne LeBeau to me but his already existing passion for the character and prep work won me over so I'm interested to see how this develops. Tatum will next be seen in Kingsman: The Golden Circle alongside Taron Egerton, Julianne Moore, and Jeff Bridges.