Channing Tatum nearly ended up being Gambit

Just over a week ago Channing Tatum was saying that he had meetings about playing Thor in Marvel’s upcoming movie, but it didn’t work out. Now he has revealed to MTV another Marvel character he nearly ended up playing. Gambit.

“Man, I was dying to play [Gambit],” Tatum told MTV News. “My dad’s from Louisiana and I think I’ve always just gravitated towards Gambit in general. He’s just cooler than anything to me.”

Tatum very nearly got his chance when he was all-but cast as Gambit’s alter ego, Remy LeBeau, in Brett Ratner’s “X-Men: The Last Stand”. The character, however, was dropped at the last minute.

“They didn’t end up putting his character in because he’s such a big character that they were waiting…”

When it was decided that Gambit would make his big-screen debut in “Wolverine” instead, Tatum was immediately contacted about the role, but found that it would be impossible to work out in terms of schedule due to his commitments with “G.I. Joe.” The role ultimately went to Taylor Kitsch instead, a choice that Tatum endorses with just a little bit of jealousy.

“I’m really interested to see how the guy plays him because I have a pretty clear version of Gambit in my head,” Tatum. “I’m sure the guy is going to be great, though.”

I’m glad Taylor Kitsch got the part. He has the look and from what we’ve seen it seems he has pulled it off. We’ll have to wait another 2 weeks to see the final product though.