Channing Tatum set to star as Gambit in X-Men movie spinoff  - report

Actor Channing Tatum will take on the role of the mutant Gambit, in an upcoming X-Men movie solo spinoff, Variety.com reported, citing sources.

Gambit, who first appeared in the Uncanny X-Men series in 1990, is a Louisianan thief with the ability to charge small objects with energy, turning them into explosive projectiles, something he often does with playing cards.

The character is currently a member of the X-Factor squad in the comics.

Gambit would be the first X-Men cinematic solo project since Hugh Jackman helmed two Wolverine movies. Coincidentally, the character featured in the first solo Wolverine movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, though he was played there by Taylor Kitsch.

Tatum previously said he was interested in the role, saying in an interview with MTV, “Gambit is the only X-Man I’ve ever loved. I mean, I’ve loved them all, they’re all great, but I guess just being from down South; my dad’s from Louisiana, I’m from Mississippi, Alabama, Florida. I don’t know, I just related to him … I would die to play him.”

In a separate Variety report, solo movies for characters Mystique and Deadpool were also hinted at. Mystique is played by Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence in the current X-Men movie universe, while Deadpool also featured in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where he was played by Ryan Reynolds, who went on to star in the DC Comics movie Green Lantern.

The latest X-Men movie, X-Men: Days of Future past, is set to open later this month.  - AMD, GMA News