A Gambit movie was in the works for several years at 20th Century Fox, and it was originally slated for a 2016 release. While X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner essentially greenlit the movie solely because Channing Tatum wanted to play the character, cracking the story was seemingly easier said than done, hence why it went through several writers and directors.
With Marvel Studios now in charge of the X-Men franchise following the Disney/Fox merger, Gambit was just one of many projects that ended up being scrapped. With that, Tatum's dreams of playing the Marvel Comics character were dashed, though we have a glimpse of what might have been thanks to some newly surfaced concept art.
Discovered on Anthony Winn's ArtStation page, these "pitch mood boards" show us what looked like an emotional moment for Remy LeBeau. The mutant boasts Tatum's likeness, though we have no idea which iteration of the movie this concept art is from.
Talking about missing out on starring in Gambit, Tatum previously said he was left "traumatized" by the experience, adding that he, "shut off [his] Marvel machine" and was unable to watch any of the other Marvel movies. Why? Because "I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him."
Tatum has since shared his disappointment that he wasn't given the chance to play the fan-favourite mutant, but he may end up getting a second chance as it was recently reported that he may show up in Deadpool 3. That would be a cool way for the actor to finally make his dream a reality, and it wouldn't negatively impact Marvel Studios' plans as he could be just another Variant.
Either way, we don't anticipate a Gambit solo project being a priority for the MCU, though the Cajun could quite easily show up as part of the team as he's a character who has too often been overlooked on screen (Taylor Kitsch made a glorified cameo as the hero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine).
Take a closer look at this new Gambit concept art below.