Channing Tatum is spreading the "Gambit" movie hype in his latest interview with MTV News.
Tatum is promoting his summer flick "22 Jump Street" with costar Jonah Hill. Tatum has previously confirmed he is in talks for the role, but hasn't officially signed a deal.
"Creatively, we're starting to chug forward. Obviously there's nothing [official]," Tatum told MTV News. "There are only conversations and dreams right now, really."
"I've been pretty vocal about wanting to be the part of Gambit for a very long time," Tatum added. "It's a weird, pinching-myself moment that we're even having the conversation."
There were rumors claiming Tatum's Gambit would appear in the "X-Men: Apocalypse," but the actor wants a standalone film before he's officially part of the "X-Men" crew.
"We've talked about it being a standalone, first, and actually trying to change the 'hero, superhero movie.' Because Gambit is not your typical hero," Tatum told MTV News. "He's a thief. He walks on the gray. I'm hoping we can change it a little bit, and then ultimately feather into the other ones."
"The machine of the Marvel world is so ginormous that it's literally like climbing a mountain, getting one of these movies made, and all of the pieces that go along with it," Tatum added.
However, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" writer Simon Kinberg told The Daily Beast the production is interested in having Tatum in "Apocalypse."
"Gambit is still in-motion and being figured out," Kinberg said. "Channing made it known that it was a character that he loved and would love to play, and all the people who work on the X-Men movies are huge fans of his, so the notion of him playing it is exciting. I'm more fascinated by anti-heroes, and Gambit is one of those.
"I don't know why he wasn't explored in the original X-Men movies," he added. "Maybe the reason why was because they wanted to focus on Rogue/Bobby or the platonic Rogue/Wolverine relationship, and maybe there were too many similarities between Wolverine and Gambit, so in order to make it a Wolverine-centric franchise they had to cut him loose."
