Back in the early 2010s, it looked like Channing Tatum was a lock to play X-Men member Gambit in his own movie. Originally set for release in 2016, the project was hit by continuous creative issues and delays before the Disney/Fox merger sealed its fate when the spin-off, along with several other projects, was scrapped.
Tatum has since shared his disappointment that he wasn't given the chance to portray the fan-favourite mutant on screen, but is expected to receive a second chance in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Rumblings that he'd finally get to suit up as Gambit first started doing the rounds last summer, with it later said we'd see Tatum in a comic-accurate costume. Now, it seems both he and Hugh Jackman have decided to publicly tease the long-rumoured cameo.
The latter recently posted a workout photo on Instagram which prompted Tatum to respond with, "Letttsss gooo daddy!!!!" By itself, that seems pretty innocent, but Jackman has since shared the comment on Instagram with a response in what could be some very telling purple text.
All signs point to The Lost City and 21 Jump Street star suiting up as Gambit in the MCU and we're hopeful that May's rumoured trailer will include some of Deadpool & Wolverine's Variants.
It's unclear how significant a role the actor will have in the threequel, though we'd imagine him being a member of the X-Men alongside rumoured returnees James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Halle Berry. They're expected to play Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm again and are all likely to don their own costumes inspired by the comics.
Taylor Kitsch played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but a splashy cameo from Tatum would be a fun way to give him a long-overdue chance to play the Cajun hero and share the screen with Jackman and Ryan Reynolds.
Shawn Levy directs Deadpool & Wolverine, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, and Matthew Macfadyen. The movie is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy.
The trades have confirmed that Jennifer Garner will reprise her role as Elektra, with Wesley Snipes, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Dafne Keen, Channing Tatum, Blake Lively and, as we mentioned above, even singer Taylor Swift among those rumoured to make an appearance.
Deadpool & Wolverine arrives in theaters on July 26.