Let’s dreamcast the X-Men before they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 21: Channing Tatum arriving at the ‘Logan Lucky’ UK premiere held at Vue West End on August 21, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

10. Channing Tatum as Gambit

Gambit is a fan-favorite X-Men, and with good reason. Though his power to kinetically charge objects and throw them with pinpoint precision is cool, the biggest thing that sets Gambit apart is his personality. Gambit is a ladies’ man who had a stint as a thief in his home city of New Orleans before he joined up with the X-Men. His background often caused him to clash with the other X-Men, but over time they came to accept him and help him in his attempts to get himself on another path. He also has a romance with Rogue, who eventually becomes his wife.

As recently as last year, Channing Tatum was still actively trying to get a Gambit solo movie made through 21st Century Fox. But after spending more than a decade in development hell, the film was finally scrapped when Disney acquired the studio.

Which is too bad, because Tatum clearly had a real passion for the character. Like Gambit, Tatum himself is from New Orleans, can do the Cajun accent required for the part, and has spoken publicly about the strong affinity he has for the character. He nearly appeared as Gambit in both X-Men: The Last Stand and Wolverine: Origins but couldn’t because of scheduling conflicts. It looked like Tatum’s odds for playing the smooth-talking card player were slim.

Or are they? Could it be possible that Disney would cancel the Gambit movie only to bring Tatum on board officially as part of the MCU? After all, if there’s one thing success stories like Henry Cavill’s bid to play Geralt of Rivia and Ryan Reynolds’ home run with Deadpool show, it’s that passion projects can yield some incredible results. If Channing Tatum is that passionate about Gambit, then he might just be the best guy suited for the job.