Channing Tatum Says He Is Still “Fighting” For a Gambit Movie

by Justin Hermes · November 9, 2026

At one point, it seemed like only a matter of time before Channing Tatum would headline his own solo film as the X-Man Gambit.

In May 2014, Tatum officially signed on to bring the fan-favorite mutant to life, with early plans to have him debut in X-Men: Apocalypse. When Fox announced a stand-alone Gambit film as part of its 2016 release slate, the project seemed well on its way.

Source: Marvel/ Bleecker Street

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Over the next five years, Tatum’s Gambit film became trapped in development hell, and the actor eventually began to lose hope that it would ever happen.

Then Ryan Reynolds came calling.

Tatum Finally Got to Play Gambit

Tatum finally got his chance to portray the iconic mutant in Deadpool & Wolverine, giving fans a glimpse of what could have been.

Photo: Marvel

Now, he is set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday. Even so, Tatum hasn’t given up on his dream of one day starring in a solo Gambit adventure.

What About a Solo Film?

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Channing Tatum revealed that he still has hope for a Gambit film, even if he isn’t the one to direct it.

Photo: Marvel

“Now that I know exactly what directing is and how complicated it is and how these movies specifically are so hard, you really need to know what you’re doing. It can’t be your first movie. You’ve got to really get a lot of different facets under your belt and have a lot of experience because making one of these movies is nearly impossible,” he said.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Channing Tatum attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

“Some people really have the formula down and really know how to do it, and some others struggle. It would’ve just been a catastrophe on a level that I would never have recovered from.”

While Tatum has come to terms with the idea that he will not direct a Gambit film, he also admitted that he is still “fighting” for the chance to make it happen.