At least we know what the big Halloween costume will be in 2016!
It is not that surprising given that rumors surfaced of Tatum’s involvement a few months ago. Now why would Fox recast the role when they had already had an actor play the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine? Well, if you need an actual answer to that question then I suggest you just reevaluate your life.
Well . . . at least he'll always have John Carter of Mars . . .
As with any casting for a comic book film, Tatum’s announcement has left fans divided. Some say he will be good, some say he will be bad, some are just excited that Gambit is getting his own movie. Regardless of where you stand with it, this film is happening. In my opinion, it's probably for the best. I’m excited for the movie and I’m gonna give you 5 REASONS TO BE EXCITED FOR CHANNING TATUM AS GAMBIT:
CHANNING TATUM IS A FAN:
This isn’t necessarily the most important aspect of casting but it should sway some fans’ opinions. Actors like Robert Downey Jr, Grant Gustin, Mark Hamill, Tom Hiddleston and Scarlett Johannsen were all comic book fans before being cast and it clearly influenced the way they wanted to portray their respective characters. Granted there have been actors like Michael Keaton, Stephen Amell, Kevin Conroy, Ian McKellan, and Kelsey Grammar that knew very little (if anything) about the characters they were playing and they all turned in fantastic performances regardless. Still, I would argue that having that extra “research” (and by that I mean reading the comic books as a kid) will definitely give you a leg up in the audition and character development process. Unless the character is changed completely and then you’re screwed.
You're a liar, Colin Firth! A dirty liar!
Tatum being a fan will only make his performance better. He'll want to give it everything he's got because it's what he would expect an actor in his shoes to do. We know he'll take it seriously, and he's not the only one . . .
GAMBIT IS THE PRODUCER'S FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Gambit was slated to appear in just about every X-Men film but was always cut out. Initially, the producers felt his personality was too similar to Wolverine’s. I think this is ridiculous. Having two characters with similar personalities shouldn’t hinder a character from appearing.
I mean they all had the exact same personality!
I’d argue that having Mystique and Magneto in all the X-Men movies is bad because they are similar in personality (they hate humans for their persecution of mutants). Regardless, Gambit has never gotten his due in a proper X-Men film. Producer Laura Shuler-Donner has gone on record saying that Gambit is her favorite character. I’m sure no one is more embarrassed about his appearance in Origins than she is. She’s also stated that she wants to give Gambit his due on film and championed for Tatum to get the part. You can say what you want about the previous films but with 3 X-Men films currently in production clearly the studio and the producers have faith in their products. Or you know, it’s a quick cash grab. After all I was the one that made this joke not long ago – “If the X-Men movies have taught us anything it’s that you can fix a $200 million mistake with another $200 million a few years later.”
Hey, it's true!
IT CAN BE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SUPERHERO MOVIE:
This is a bit of cheat considering that this actually has little or nothing to do with Tatum himself, but hear me out! What made the Wolverine so interesting (at least the first half of it) was that it was more of a character film specifically about Logan than it was about hero vs villain. Of course, the film still had to have the obligatory Hero vs Villain fight at the end, but it didn’t need it and in fact it’s the main criticism with the film. Unlike Wolverine, Gambit doesn’t have a rogues gallery. There’s the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants but they don’t need to be shoehorned into this film. I think it would be much more exciting to see a character piece where Gambit is a rogue dealing with issues from his past or present rather than give him a nemesis. The Wolverine was almost like this. It started off with Logan evaluating his immortality and the idea for him to give it up. Then of course, they brought in the Silver Samurai robot at the end because that's like what NEEDED to happen . . . Anyway, it would be great to see a different kind of superhero film where the powers and fights take a back seat to the character development.
The ridiculous muscles stay in the front seat with the character development of course.
There is no rule that states that every comic book film has to have a central villain or final battle to save the world. The conflict can be the character himself or the situation he finds himself in. I think Fox has a chance to really sell us a new kind of superhero film, one that gives us a man with powers instead of giving us a powerful man. What I mean by that is, let the powers be secondary. They don’t define Remy, they just enhance his kinetic personality . . . Ha ha get it?
HE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE THE NEW WOLVERINE:
Regardless of what you think of Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine, you have to admit that his dedication to the role is pretty awesome. He’s played the character in every X-Men movie to date, including voicing some of the video games. However, one of the drawbacks of having him continue in the films, at least from the studio’s point of view, is that he’s getting more expensive with every film. Jackman may not look that old, but it is noticeable that he has aged since the first X-Men film back in 2000. His enthusiasm for the role hasn’t diminished though. However, after 7 appearances, which as of now is the most any live action actor has played a comic book character, it’s probably time for some new blood. Enter Gambit. Tatum has the right amount of star power to draw in a new crowd and keep the franchise going as well as the leading man presence to anchor future X-Men movies. True, Gambit has never been the leader of the X-Men but that won’t stop the marketing department from putting him front and center just like Wolverine was in the first 3 films.
He doesn't even go here!
While Fox gives the audience time to get used to not seeing Wolverine or Hugh Jackman anymore, they'll just give us Channing Tatum as Gambit instead. Crazy right? Crazy like a Fox! Ha ha! I'm on a roll today!
Ok well . . . Let's just get to the number 1 reason to be excited for Tatum as Gambit:
HE'S A GOOD ACTOR:
Obviously, this is the most important aspect of casting any movie. It’s one thing to cast a big name in a part and sometimes it pays off. Casting Jack Nicholson as the Joker was a major step in the right direction for the 1989 Batman. Sometimes it does not pay off. Casting Arnold Schwarzennegger in Batman and Robin probably looked good on paper but the final result was . . . not cool (sorry, couldn’t help myself).
I-cy what you did there!
Tatum is one of those few movie stars that is actually a good actor. Despite appearing in some less than stellar movies, as most actors do at some point, he normally still gives a good performance. He's rumored to be an Oscar contender for his performance in Foxcatcher. Plus, nowadays, comic book films are seen as actual movies and not just popcorn entertainment. Actors that give bad or campy performances are called out for it. It may not hurt their careers but it doesn’t do them any favors either.
Jesus . . .
2016 will give us three X-Men films: Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Gambit. It's gonna be a big year for X-Men fans and the comic book movie industry. Like I said for Fox to greenlight two solo X-Men films is a pretty big deal. This could give them a shared universe that expands outside the normal X-Men and Wolverine series. I believe that Channing Tatum will be instrumental to the future of the X-Men films and I'm excited to see where his story goes. I just hope he works on that accent . . .
Till Next Time!
JJ - The Comic Junkie
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