Channing Tatum's "Gambit" deal is in serious jeopardy of falling apart as the actor is planning on leaving the comic book project, reports TheWrap. Insiders suggest that 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the film, and director Rupert Wyatt are going to have to find a new leading man for the project. One individual close to the project told TheWrap that Tatum's reps are still in active discussions with the studio but acknowledged that "something is up." It is unclear exactly whether Tatum and his producing partner Reid Carolin plan to remain involved in a producing capacity, but the project is basically happening solely due to Tatum.
"Gambit" has been a passion project for Tatum for some time. The actor is a huge fan of the character and has wanted to portray him for years. Longtime "X-Men" series producers Lauren Schuler Donner and Simon Kinberg worked with Tatum to convince the studio that a "Gambit" movie was worth making, considering the character only appeared once in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," according to Nerdist.
Tatum recently surprised fans at San Diego Comic-Con to hype up his role as Gambit and seemed very excited about the movie. The actor crashed the hall H stage at the end of 20th Century Fox's panel to take a huge group selfie that included the casts of "X-Men: Apocalypse" and "Deadpool."
"Gambit" is currently scheduled for release on Oct. 7, 2016.
