Channing Tatum finally got to play Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, and according to Ryan Reynolds, it would seem Marvel came away impressed by the performance. Gambit was one of the many surprise guest stars in Deadpool & Wolverine, joining Chris Evans as Johnny Storm / Human Torch, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and Dafne Keen as Laura Kinney / X-23. Tatum has been linked to Gambit since 20th Century Fox started developing a feature film that was eventually scrapped. Deadpool & Wolverine allowed Tatum to finally live out his childhood dream, with fans clamoring to see more of the X-Man. While that remains up in the air, Ryan Reynolds claims Tatum’s Gambit has caught Marvel’s eye.
“I honestly don’t know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they’re obsessed with him in that role,” Reynolds told Entertainment Weekly‘s Awardist podcast about Channing Tatum’s Gambit. “It’s kind of like the same situation I went through. Once you show that it works well, that’s really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action.”
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The situation that Ryan Reynolds is referring to is the Deadpool test footage that leaked out in 2014. After Fox saw the footage and the excitement it caused among Deadpool fans, the studio finally greenlit a movie starring Reynolds as the Merc With a Mouth. 2016’s Deadpool was so successful that a sequel, Deadpool 2, came shortly after in 2018. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, Deadpool & Wolverine officially welcomed the two X-Men characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“And Channing is so singular in how he plays that character,” Reynolds added, “but also he’s so beautiful physically, the way he moves and the way he can pick up steps.”
Ryan Reynolds calls for more Channing Tatum as Gambit
This isn’t the first time Ryan Reynolds has spoken highly of Channing Tatum’s performance as Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine. After the third Deadpool movie hit theaters, Reynolds took to social media to offer praise to Tatum.
“Gambit is a guy Chan was born to play. His story is similar to mine in that he spent a decade trying to put the most comic-accurate version of Gambit on the big screen,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram, posting photos of Tatum in his Gambit gear. “Remy LeBeau is grafted to his soul and needs to come out and deal. And Gambit found his author in Chan. He’s one of the coolest, smartest characters in comics and still largely unexplored.”
“I want more — and from what I saw in theaters, you do too,” Reynolds continued. “Having the chance to say goodbye to some of these heroes is as important as having new characters to root for… and rooting for Gambit is easy. Rooting for Chan is even easier. He’s one of the greatest, hardest working, kindest people in this entire industry. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see @channingtatum pull Gambit from the dead and bring him to life at the perfect time and perfect way.”
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