Channing Tatum Teases About 'Gambit' Character, Calls Him A 'Tortured Soul'

Channing Tatum is all set appear in the “X-Men” spin-off “Gambit.” The actor recently spoke to Empire magazine about his fascination for the character and how the film will be different from other superhero films that are mostly about saving the world.

“I love Gambit. I grew up in the South; my father’s from Louisiana. We’d go to New Orleans and I heard all the dialects. It felt so different from the rest of America; it has its own ancient culture. So I identified with that. And he always felt the most real of the X-Men to me. He’s kind of a tortured soul and he’s not a good guy. But he’s not a bad guy, either. He walks his own path,” the actor told the magazine, as Screen Rant reported. Tatum also said the character loves to drink and play cards, and has brilliant martial arts skills.

The character Gambit first appeared in the comic book, “Uncanny Appearance,” No. 266. He was born with red eyes and was abandoned at the birth. He can charge any object just by looking at it and can throw objects like knives and spikes with great precision. Gambit has always been one of the X-Men.

Josh Zetumer will write the screenplay for "Gambit," and reportedly the first draft is in its finishing stage. Tatum also revealed that the script is “killer” and the fans of “X-Men” will see some changes in “Gambit.”

“There’s so many ways you can take [an origin story]. You could do it like 'Batman Begins,' or a different take and go the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' route,” he added. The film's director and other cast members have yet to be announced. Simon Kinberg, Reid Carolin and Lauren Shuler Donner are producing the film. It is scheduled to be released Oct. 7, 2016. Tatum will also play Gambit in “X-Men: Apocalypse,” which is set for a May 2016 release.