In the 2010s, Channing Tatum became a household name churning out box office hit after hit! In an interview with Variety, he opens up about doing what others are afraid to do…take a break.
Who is CHANNING TATUM?
Tatum made a name for himself in comedies like 21 Jump Street, and as a romantic lead in The Vow. He even did a semi-autobiographical film about his life as a stripper in Florida with Magic Mike. If you didn’t know who he was, that was a choice.
“I felt like I was the fat kid at the buffet, just working and working and working. [Taking] four movies back to back without any time off. I wasn’t as good as I wanted to be in those last two movies because I didn’t have the energy.”
– Channing Tatum; Variety
However, after a 4-year hiatus, Tatum is ready to return to the big screen in a big way. First up, inspired by the death of Lulu, his beloved pit bull-Catahoula mix, is Dog where he plays a U.S. Army Ranger who drives a Belgian Malinois to its owner’s funeral. The film marks the first time Tatum has stepped behind the camera, co-directing the film alongside his longtime producing partner, Reid Carolin. Then, The Lost City where he plays Dash, a romance novel model written by a bestselling author played by Sandra Bullock. AND, is the victim of a kidnapping scheme.
TATUM’S ATTEMPT AT A GAMBIT MOVIE
At one time, Tatum’s name was circulating as a potential casting choice for Gambit in X-men: The Last Stand. He even went as far as to develop a script for the film with Carolin. The film was a raunchy, stand-alone superhero movie about the X-men mutant for 20th Century Fox. However, things were not looking good.
“The studio really didn’t want us to direct it. They wanted anybody but us, essentially, because we had never directed anything.”
-Variety
Adding insult to injury, once Disney merged with Fox the project was dead in the water. Is there hope for a Gambit film in the future? Who knows. Is Tatum the correct choice? For me, absolutely not. But I appreciate his passion for the character.
“They would call him ‘flamboyant’ in his description. I wouldn’t — he was just the coolest person. He could pull anything off. Most superheroes, their outfits are utilitarian. Batman’s got his belt. Gambit’s like, ‘No, this shit’s just fly, bro! This shit walked down the Paris runway last year.’ He’s just wearing the stuff that’s so dope because he loves fashion.”
Will the character of Gambit ever be a part of an MCU film? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to THS updates, news, and reviews!
