Like Deadpool, Remy LeBeau a.k.a. Gambit first appeared on screen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then played by Taylor Kitsch (True Detective). Now that 20th Century Fox's evolving X-Men universe has been (sort of) rebooted by Days of Future Past, the Ragin' Cajun will receive his own standalone film. However, unlike Ryan Reynolds returning to the role of Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool, Gambit will be played by Channing Tatum (Magic Mike XXL) and receive a "different" introduction to the franchise.
Late last year Fox brought on Joshua Zetumer (RoboCop) to craft a script from a Gambit spinoff treatment written by the character’s original co-creator Chris Claremont. More recently, director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) joined the project, which will seemingly start production later this year for its 2016 release date.
Showbiz 411 is reporting that Gambit will begin shooting in New Orleans this October, under the title "Chess," and received a list of character descriptions in the film's casting call. Reportedly, each role includes a deal for sequels, and some call for French-speaking actors:
Louis- Male, any ethnicity, 40s-50s. Elegant and intelligent. An appealing entrepreneur with an unexpected dark side.
Vera- Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. Beautiful, smart, tough, fiery and unpredictable.
Wes- Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – mid 30s. Aspirational but weak minded. Soulful and sensitive.
Fritz- Male, any ethnicity, 40s – 50s. A professional thief. Charismatic con-artist. Warm hearted but untrustworthy.
Nash- Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. A potent threat. Heir to his mother’s business. Malevolent.
Willhelm- Male, any ethnicity, 30s. Dangerous street criminal. Protective and loyal to his family. Intensely loyal and violent.
Gary- Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. A little simple; dim-witted and passive.
Nonna- Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s – 30 years old.
Uptight, corporate, vicious, sexual.
Joe- Male, any ethnicity, 30s. He’s a gun for hire. He is the black sheep of his family. Not from good breeding but from a working class family.
Ben- Male, any ethnicity, 20s. Just reaching adulthood. A street kid, a disaffected outsider, an orphan.
Boris- Male, Hispanic, 20s. Charming, handsome, and dangerous.
Clarissa- Female, mixed race, 10 – 12 years old. Ethereal and other worldly. Very expressive.
Wolfgang- Male, authentic French, 40s. A French criminal. Must speak fluent French.
Howard- Male, Caucasian. 50s. A refined European mobster who speaks fluent French.
Like the production itself, many of these character names will change before the final film is released, likely to hide their connections to comic book characters. Certain descriptions on this list are too vague to guess at whether they're based on characters from the comics - and, likely, some may not have any tie to Gambit's comic book associates.
However, if Gambit will, like Deadpool, include a handful of X-Men characters who are associated with the titular hero, then some of these descriptions are likely alluding to Marvel-based roles. For instance, Fritz could potentially be Jean-Luc LeBeau, the leader of the Thieves Guild who takes a young Remy under his wing. Additionally, Vera could be Gambit's childhood love interest from the comics, Bella Donna Boudreaux, while Willhelm might be her brother Julien. As for Nonna, she could be the immortal mutant supervillain Candra.
Of course, these descriptions don't offer too much to go on, but if Gambit does start filming in October, which seems likely given the film's October 2016 release date, then more casting information will be headed our way soon. When the cast of the film is confirmed, we'll be able to glean more about what characters - both new and adapted from the comics - fans should expect in Gambit.
Next: Channing Tatum Still Finding the Right ‘Gambit’ Accent
Fantastic Four opens August 7th, 2015, Deadpool on February 12th, 2016, X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27th, 2016, Gambit on October 7th, 2016, Wolverine 3 (not the official title) on March 3rd, 2017, Fantastic Four 2 on June 9th, 2017, and some as-yet unspecified X-Men film on July 13th, 2018. New Mutants is also in the work without a release date.
Source: Showbizz 411