20 Actors You Didn't Know Almost Played X-Men

4. Channing Tatum Was Almost Gambit

Channing Tatum Gambit
WC

Okay, so Channing Tatum is now Gambit for Fox's upcoming X-Men spin-off (and about time too) but we could have seen the 22 Jump Street star swinging the iconic mutant's staff and flicking flaming cards around a lot earlier - 8 years before the announcement was made recently.

Tatum revealed to GQ that he was nearly cast as Gambit for 2006€s X-Men: The Last Stand, before the role was written out of the film (while Juggernaut was kept in - way to go,) and he couldn't revive the role in 2009 for X-Men Origins: Wolverine because he was tied up making G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Tatum was open about his pro-active campaign for the role, which he has now ultimately landed for X-Men: Apocalypse before a solo film and called Gambit €œthe only superhero I really followed. He was the most real to me: smoking, drinking, women-loving, thief. He just looked cool to me. I€™ve always loved him. And obviously he€™s Cajun.€

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