Channing Tatum is teasing big things for his return as Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday.
After finally making his long-awaited Marvel debut in Deadpool and Wolverine last year, the actor says the following Avengers movie will take things to another level, and fans are not yet ready for what is to come.
“I think they put a chip in me so that if I say something stupid I just have seizures,” Tatum joked during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
He then reflected on the meaning of playing the popular X-Man, and talked about how personal the role feels to him.
“I get to play my favorite character, Gambit… I was the kid in Pascagoula, Mississippi, throwing cards at friends in the living room. I always wanted to be an X-Man, so now in the Avengersbeyond my wildest dreams,” he said.
Tatum also praised the size of Avengers: Doomsdayand notes how ambitious the film is even by Marvel standards.
“In this movie, they have to exceed their expectations every time. I thought, ‘How are they going to do it? How are they going to exceed the last thing they did?'” he said.
“I read the script and my first question after reading the script was, ‘How are you going to pull this story off?’ And you’re just not ready for what’s going to happen.”
The actor’s portrayal of Gambit marks a full-circle moment after years of delays and missed opportunities.
Tatum was initially supposed to bring the character to life X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), but the mutant card thrower was ultimately removed from the film. When the scroll finally appeared X-Men Origin: WolverineTaylor Kitsch stepped in due to Tatum’s scheduling conflict.
Over the past decade, Tatum’s name has been linked to several attempts at a Gambit solo film, although the project never progressed beyond development.
His surprise arrived Deadpool and Wolverine excited fans, as the film also features appearances from Chris Evans’ Human Torch, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, Jennifer Garner’s Elektra and Dafne Keen’s X-23.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe gears up for its next massive crossover, Tatum’s Gambit is officially part of the action, and from the sounds of it, the actor couldn’t be more excited.
