For the longest time Channing Tatum has been attached to Gambit, the X-Men spin-off about the mutant card spinner, willing it through a lengthy pre-production period. Well, that's all looking to be for naught now as The Wrap are reporting that Tatum is planning to leave the project. How far along this situation is isn't clear, but the studio is reported as saying "something is up". I really like Tatum, and have ever since 21 Jump Street showed he was a much smarter performer than his traditional macho looks suggested, so to see him leave what has become a passion project akin to Ryan Reynolds on Deadpool is a real shame. Is this it for the Gambit film? The film struggled to secure a director for a long time before Rupert Wyatt (the great Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and the dire The Gambler) came on board, with the project only kept alive by the drive of its star. Without Tatum, Gambit's lost its key PR man, leaving us with a movie about a hero best known from a '90s kids cartoon, last played by bomb-magnet Taylor Kitsch. Not the easiest sell. On a larger scale, this is a big knock to the expansion of the X-Men franchise. It's managed to last since 2000 within the same continuity (highly impressive in these reboot heavy times) but any attempt to move outside of the big ensemble pictures have floundered - only Wolverine has fronted his own spin-offs (to mixed results) and attempts at standalone origins for the likes of Magneto floundered early on. The only other non-main series film is Deadpool is coming next year, but with an R-rating it doesn't quite sit alongside the rest of the franchise. If Gambit isn't saved, then things don't look great. Gambit is set for release on 7th October 2016, although don't bank on it.
