For the longest time, people cannot think of the "Gambit" standalone movie without associating "Magic Mike" star Channing Tatum with it, but now it seems like people would have to picture a different actor for the Cajun mutant since Tatum is reportedly departing the movie.
According to The Wrap, the movie is in "jeopardy" and director Rupert Wyatt has to think of a new leading man for "Gambit," which has been given a release date on October 7, 2016.
Sources revealed that "something is up" although Tatum's reps are still in active talks with the studio. When sought for comment, both 20th Century Fox and Tatum were unavailable for any comments.
It is unclear what the fuss is all about in the movie's production, and why Tatum is suddenly thinking of leaving the project he feels so passionate about. In fact, Tatum attended the recent Comic Con in San Diego to promote his role as the charismatic thief Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, so news of his departure is quite shocking indeed.
The character was originally played by Taylor Kitsch in the 2009 movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
One of the possible reasons behind this move might be Tatum's "larger ambitions," since he and his producing partner Reid Carolin have plans to make their directorial debut soon. The two might still remain tied to "Gambit" as producers though, together with Simon Kinberg and Lauren Shuler Donner.
This new development surfaced just as soon as French actress and "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" star Lea Seydoux is being eyed as the movie's leading lady. It is possible that she would be playing Bella Donna Boudreaux, a childhood friend of Gambit's.
Her character has been described as someone "beautiful, smart, tough, fiery, and unpredictable" and someone in her mid 20s to early 30s.
While Gambit is a member of the Thieves Guild, Bella Donna is the granddaughter of the leader of the Assassins Guild. To unite the two guilds and set aside their differences for good, their marriage has been arranged, but something goes terribly wrong when Bella Donna's brother invites Gambit for a duel.
At the same time, the studio seems to be very confident about the movie's success since "Gambit" has just been allocated with a budget of over $150 million, and that amount does not even cover the paycheck that will go to the actor who would be playing the title character.
