X-MEN Producer Simon Kinberg Confirms That Mister Sinister Was Supposed To Be In GAMBIT

That Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum never happened, but if it had, it would have featured the big-screen debut of the villainous Mister Sinister according to Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg...

By JoshWilding - May 27, 2020 03:05 AM EST

Filed Under: Gambit

Source: IGN

Gambit spent years stuck in development hell, with multiple directors and scripts, not to mention several different release dates. Ultimately, the Disney/Fox merger was the final nail in the X-Men spinoff's coffin, but it sounds like we missed out on finally seeing Mister Sinister on the big screen.

During a recent interview with IGN, Dark Phoenix director and Gambit producer Simon Kinberg confirmed that the plan was indeed to introduce that iconic comic book villain after he was teased in X-Men: Apocalypse.

"We had a tease of it at the end of Apocalypse. The Essex Corp is something that you see in a tag at the end of Apocalypse. We had talked about doing something with him, and I won't get into the specifics of it since it's no longer a 20th Century Fox property and now it's part of the MCU. I have no idea what the plan is. But Mister Sinister was going to be part of the Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum."

While there have been rumours that actors like Jon Hamm and Daniel Craig were eyed for that role, Kinberg told the site that they never got close to casting the role, so those reports clearly weren't accurate.

It seems highly unlikely that a Gambit movie will be a priority for Marvel Studios as most fans couldn't understand why it was happening in the first place. However, it would be pretty cool if Kevin Feige ended up casting Tatum as the character so he finally gets the chance to bring his take on the Cajun mutant to the big screen.

What we do know is that Kinberg will not be involved with the X-Men franchise in any way moving forward.

Click on the "Next" button below to check out 10
things we need to see from the X-Men in the MCU!

10. Hated And Feared

The X-Men are every bit the heroes that The Avengers are, but they shouldn't be perceived that way by the public. Whether it's because they're the next stage in human evolution or because they didn't receive their powers through a scientific experiment gone wrong, mutants should be hated and feared.

That automatically makes them way more interesting, and there's a lot Marvel Studios can say about racism and bigotry in a movie like this they might otherwise not get the chance to do.

As Jean Grey says above, the X-Men will fight for everyone regardless of how people feel about them. That's a strong message to send to moviegoers, and one that's worth tackling in the reboot.

9. Krakoa

It's still early days for the concept of Krakoa in the Marvel Universe, but we've already seen enough of it to safely say it could work really well in the Cinematic one.

Think about it for a second; just the idea of mutants living peacefully on an island where Charles Xavier has secretly been bringing them for years would explain why we haven't seen them before now, and we're sure some sort of cataclysmic event could be what brings them out of hiding.

The notion of them being fish out of water is also interesting, while the outside world believing that Professor X has amassed an army of powered beings on a hidden island would explain why they're feared and hated. This is a concept with a lot of potential on the big screen.

8. Comic Accurate Costumes

Some of the recent X-Men movies tried to head down this route, but it was either only briefly or in a way that disappointed. Thankfully, Marvel Studios has never shied away from comic accurate costumes and they've been known, on occasion, to actually improve them (Captain America).

With the X-Men, there are plenty of places to turn for inspiration, but rather than the mutants all wearing the same uniform, we're anticipating a sight not all that different to the one you see above.

Each of these characters has their own distinct personalities and powers, and that can be emphasised through their costumes. Plus, it's about time we get to see Wolverine's classic blue and yellow duds!

7. The Original Five (And A Few More)

Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class was a fun ride, but it failed to deliver what 99% of fans wanted: the original five X-Men! It all started with Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Beast, and Iceman, and putting the focus on them in the reboot seems like the smartest possible move.

Now, we're not saying we can't see other mutants, but going too big, too soon, could be a major mistake.

Throwing the likes of Storm and Wolverine into the mix definitely wouldn't hurt, but for the most part, this first movie should reinvent and reboot these characters in a way which will ensure that they're a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years to come. That's particularly important with Scott Summers, as there's so much which can be done with that hero.

6. Avengers Vs. X-Men

Given how much baggage the X-Men franchise has thanks to Fox's movies, it's not going to be easy convincing the vast majority of casual moviegoers to check out another of the team's adventures regardless of which world its set in. So, why not kick things off with an Avengers Vs. X-Men film?

Using Krakoa, the team could be quickly introduced, and the immediately square off with Earth's Mightiest Heroes (who believe they're a threat before realising they're wrong). With a final act team-up against a bigger threat, this could be exactly what's needed to give the X-Men a makeover.

Alternatively, the Secret Wars movie the Russo Brothers want to make might be a good option...

5. A New Love Interest For Cyclops

At this point, Cyclops and Jean Grey's romance has been done to death both on screen and in the comic books. In the latter, he's now seemingly involved in an open relationship with Jean, Emma Frost, and possibly even Wolverine, but that's not something we expect to see in the MCU.

However, Emma has always been a great fit for Scott Summers, and seeing as she's a character who has been underutilised on screen thus far, the chance is there for a fresh take on the anti-hero.

If Marvel Studios wants to move away from Jean, she could be replaced by Emma, and we'd rather see her in a supporting role. Moving forward, she could become a pivotal part of the team, but there's a lot of potential with Scott and Emma, and she should be his key love interest in this shared world.

4. A Rival Brotherhood

The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants never received their due in Fox's movies, and we'd definitely like to see a fresh interpretation on the Brotherhood in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For starters, they shouldn't be "evil." Instead, we would like them to just serve as an alternative, rival group to the X-Men, not all that dissimilar to how the group was handled in the Ultimate X-Men comic books. A heroic Magneto who descends into being a villain is an exciting prospect, and far more exciting than him immediately being someone Professor X's team is at war with.

Characters could jump between both teams, and the different ideals Charles and Erik have is something Marvel Studios needs to explore in a way that isn't necessarily black and white.

3. Sentinels

We saw a version of the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and they were...okay? The redesign was understandable, but the movie never really took advantage of the premise of these mutant-hunting robots. In the MCU, we want to see them patrolling the skies, and possibly even as big as a skyscraper to really get across how much of a threat they are to the team.

Ultimately, their involvement could lead to Nimrod showing up, and we're sure that could be tied to Ultron somehow (especially if the creation of mutants is somehow tied to the Infinity Stones).

In terms of appearance, minimal changes to the Sentinels should be made, as it's something we're confident Marvel Studios could make work on screen. Whether they're primary or secondary antagonists, there's so much which could and should be done with these massive robots.

2. A Reinvented Professor X

Patrick Stewart's take on Professor Charles Xavier is iconic, but the next actor to play him shouldn't emulate what's come before. James McAvoy was also superb, but having to play a younger version of the character obviously meant that one hand was tied behind his back.

This next Professor X should be American, and quite possibly non-white. It also wouldn't hurt to ditch the wheelchair to begin with, and a visual overhaul similar to recent comics makes sense too.

Xavier isn't someone who should be left on the shelf, so doing something new with him is a must, and it would also be great to see him butt heads with Cyclops when it comes to leading the team.

1. A Sinister New Foe

Down the line, we definitely want to see Magneto break bad, while there's plenty of opportunity for new takes on the likes of Bolivar Trask, Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. In the meantime, we need something different, and a baddie like Mister Sinister definitely fits the bill for us right now.

His obsession with the Summers bloodline could be fun to explore, while recent takes on the villain have made him wonderfully eccentric and camp, automatically resulting in an antagonist we've never really seen in the MCU before now. If he's played by Bryan Cranston, that would be even better.

To kick things off for the X-Men here, we really can't think of a suitably more sinister foe than this...

Former ANT-MAN Director Edgar Wright Reveals Why He Turned Down The Chance To Direct Fox's GAMBIT Movie

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20 Comments

JonAwesome - 5/27/2020, 3:57 AM

Poor Channing Tatum! He was hot shit when they grabbed him for Gambit then kinda kept him waiting. His star isn’t as shiny as it used to be!

DalekCraigWasson - 5/27/2020, 5:26 AM

@JonAwesome - Anyone remember him being trotted out to Comic Con (and later helping Stan Lee stand up and walk down stairs) and being included in the big Fox Marvel photoshoots with the McAvoy/Fassbender cast and Fant4stic guys? Not quite Dark Universe level of embarrassment, but...

JonAwesome - 5/27/2020, 5:36 AM

@DalekCraigWasson -

MosquitoFarmer - 5/27/2020, 7:05 AM

@DalekCraigWasson - Good man. Stan was 92 at the time.

ChrisRed - 5/27/2020, 4:03 AM

Using Mr Sinister in the Gambit movie would have made a lot sense considering their ties in the comics.
I was so excited when they teased him in 'Apocalypse' but sadly nothing ever came of it.

Hopefully the MCU will make good use of Sinister and his ties to Cyclops, Jean Grey and others. Maybe they could do a loose adaption of 'Mutant Massacre' with Sinister as the main villain.

sKeemAn - 5/27/2020, 7:41 AM

@ChrisRed - I'd love to see Mutant Massacre on screen. So many different story lines that Fox missed out on.

ager - 5/27/2020, 9:52 PM

@ChrisRed - definitely the best option. Especially with his scientific background and how well that would mesh with MCU. I wouldn’t mind combining him with High Evolutionary and tying in Rocket Raccoon and Spider-Woman. I absolutely want to see his Marauders

WeaponXCII - 5/27/2020, 4:53 AM

Well, at least it would have given the franchise a slightly better sense of continuity- I’ll give them that much.

Tasmaniac - 5/27/2020, 5:59 AM

God, it hurts me that we still have no Gambit movie. He’s been my favourite character since I first picked up a comic 25 years ago. And Mr Sinister and Apocalypse are my favourite X villains (though they managed to [frick] up Apocalypse in that particular movie). Though I never though Tatum was the right fit - I always wanted Travis Fimmel for the role - he was clearly passionate about the project. I would have at least liked to have seen an attempt as I can’t help but feel Marvel will never bother, and that makes me terribly sad.

Tonic24k - 5/27/2020, 6:18 AM

Simon Kinberg...

Good riddance to that universe.

sKeemAn - 5/27/2020, 7:44 AM

Mr Sinister should have been apart of the Foxverse since the X2.

RokoVII - 5/27/2020, 8:05 AM

Hopefully we will get to see Mr.Sinister down the line

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X-MEN Producer Simon Kinberg Confirms That Mister Sinister Was Supposed To Be In GAMBIT

That Gambit movie starring Channing Tatum never happened, but if it had, it would have featured the big-screen debut of the villainous Mister Sinister according to Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg...

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