Channing Tatum is reportedly all signed up to star as Remy LeBeau in a Gambit solo movie for Fox.
With Channing Tatum’s star power, Remy Lebeau rises to the top of the deck when it comes to X-Men spinoff films.
Who is Gambit? What is his story? How will it impact the X-Men movie franchise?
Remy is a Cajun thief from New Orleans with a shady past who joined the X-Men. Will Remy steal his way into X-Men: Apocalypse?
Remy was an orphan adopted by the Thieves Guild of New Orleans. He’s skilled with a bow staff and his mutant power is to charge up kinetic energy in any object. His favorite and signature move is to charge up a deck of playing cards and deal out them out like bombs.
The film could introduce the war between the Thieves and Assassins Guilds in the Marvel mutant underworld.
Imagine a criminal take on Romeo and Juliet, a young Remy (of the Thieves Guild) married Bella Donna, daughter of the Assassins Guild leader but the romance ended in a blood feud, Remy cast out of the Guild and earning a ruthless enemy in Bella Donna.
Storm (trapped in the body of child) was the first X-Man to meet Gambit in the comics. Storm had once been a child thief. Ororo and Gambit bonded after meeting each other on the same heist. Gambit would stick around with X-Men and fell in love with Rogue and try to make up for his past until it came back to haunt him.
Gambit’s biggest sin was exposed. Remy took an assignment from Mister Sinister, a ruthless scientist obsessed with mutant genetics. Remy used his underworld connections to recruit mercenaries (including Sabretooth and Riptide – seen in X-Men: First Class) into a squad called the Marauders. Sinister then unleashed the killers on a group of misfit mutants called the Morlocks in the Mutant Massacre story. The X-Men kicked Gambit off the team for his past crimes and cover-up.
After reuniting with the team Gambit would later serve as a Horseman of Apocalypse. Remy allowed himself to be corrupted by the immortal mutant in a gambit to save his team. It’s just one of many ways Remy is willing the play the bad guy and walk the dark side.
Based on his comic book past here’s what could be the future of a Gambit movie:
War of the Guilds – This could show X-Men movie fans a whole new underworld where Remy grew up. As I said earlier the Assassins vs. Thieves conflict could inspire a twisted underworld take on Romeo and Juliet as Remy courts Belladonna to keep the peace between warring clans.
Candra – The nearly immortal mutant is paid tribute by both the Thieves and the Assassins Guilds. Candra is a powerful telekinetic and member of the Externals, a covert cabal of mutants with ties to Apocalypse. Remy breaks the bond with Candra by choosing family of duty.
Mister Sinister – In the comics Nathaniel Essex (his scientist alter ego) and En Sabah Nur are tied together in a twisted alliance so Essex could turn up in X-Men: Apocalypse. This is the character who could tie Remy into the next team movie. After being cast out of the Thieves Guild, Remy takes a job with Sinister he would later regret. Remy recruited a team of killers that Sinister could hire to wipe out an isolated group of misfit mutants living under New York. This dark sin from Remy’s past could be key to showing his transformation from ruthless thief to anti-hero. It would set the stage for greater drama in a future team movie if the X-Men learn of Remy’s connection to Sinister.
Bishop. Omay Sy played the mutant warrior from the future seen in X-Men: Days of Future Past. In the comics Bishop traveled into the past pursuing the mutant criminal Trevor Fitzroy, became trapped in the past and joined the X-Men heroes he idolized as a kid. Bishop decided to solve a mystery in the past to save the future. Bishop knew the X-Men would be betrayed by one of their own according to a recording he saw in the future. All the evidence points Bishop to suspect Gambit is the traitor. Producers could choose to bring Sy and this story arc into Gambit or Apocalypse. (Gambit wasn’t the traitor.)
Magic Mike has nothing on Remy LeBeau when it comes to charming the ladies.
Gambit and Rogue were on-again, off-again lovers for years until Rogue finally had enough. In the movies Rogue (Anna Paquin) falls for Iceman so if not Rogue…who?
Gambit is a chance to not only reintroduce the mutant scoundrel but introduce new mutants with a less than heroic past.
Frenzy: Joanna Cargill is a super strong criminal who took orders from Apocalypse and later followed Magneto before joining the X-Men.
During Mike Carey’s X-Men Legacy Joanna fell for Cyclops. There was a simmering flirtation building between Remy and Joanna but writers never got to fully explore their potential.
Frenzy is tough, tortured and a great potential love interest for Remy.
Stacy X or X-Stacy. One of the most controversial mutant creations that didn’t last very long but given her background, would fit in Gambit’s underworld. Stacy was a prostitute with snakelike skin who used her pheromone control power on her customers before working with the X-Men.
Lady Mastermind. The X-Men reluctantly let Regan Wyngarde join Rogue’s X-Men squad because of a mutual enemy hunting mutants. Regan eventually betrayed them. Lady Mastermind can project illusions into the minds of others.
Not all of our potential Gambit co-stars are bad girls.
Here’s one more mutant to consider:
Dr. Cecelia Reyes. A gifted surgeon who wanted to be a doctor not a superhero. Cecelia hid her mutant power to create force fields but after being exposed as a mutant she reluctantly joined the X-Men but never too a code-name. Cecelia would assist the team on missions now and again but preferred to use her gifts and skills and a surgeon than an X-Man.
Remy’s solo comic book series have never taken off and I think the Cajun charmer makes a great ingredient in an ensemble cast into of a solo book but it could work on film especially with a leading man like Tatum.
Gambit is currently a member of the now-cancelled All-New X-Factor but he will be joining the cast of the all-female X-Men book.
By Editor