With the release of “The New Mutants” expected to finally be in August (though, we won’t believe it until it’s actually on a screen somewhere), the end of the Fox/X-Men film universe is near. And with that, fans will begin to look forward to whatever Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige have up their sleeve with the mutant superheroes. But before Feige was given control of the “X-Men” characters, Fox had some pretty ambitious plans, including the oft-delayed, much-discussed “Gambit” feature.
The solo “Gambit” film has been discussed since 2014, with star Channing Tatum lined up to lead the cast, as the playing card-throwing, Cajun mutant superhero. But with multiple directors coming and going, the film never was able to get off the ground. And then when Disney purchased Fox, it appears that all hope for the original Channing Tatum “Gambit” film is dashed. But speaking to IGN, writer-producer Simon Kinberg did spill some beans about what fans might have seen in “Gambit,” specifically what villain the hero would have faced off against—Mister Sinister.
“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,’” said Kinberg. “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.”
For those that aren’t familiar with the ‘X-Men’ comic book lore, Mister Sinister is the codename for Nathaniel Essex, a mutant scientist that experimented a ton in the area of DNA splicing and genetics. And though he’s one of the more famous X-villains, Sinister is often seen as a bit outlandish and strange for live-action, as the character’s comic book costume is very cartoonish. That being said, his backstory and mission are great ideas that can easily be explored in a future feature film.
In fact, there were rumors that Mister Sinister was actually going to be introduced either in a cameo scene or end-credits tag at the end of “The New Mutants” with actors such as Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston being mentioned as possibly starring in the role. However, with news that the character was going to be part of “Gambit,” it’s unclear if the ‘New Mutants’ rumor was actually true or not.
Regardless, the idea of Sinister appearing in a “Gambit” film will live on as part of the tumultuous story of the solo superhero film that never was. Perhaps one day we’ll see the character in his own film in the MCU, but as of now, it appears that Channing Tatum’s almost-movie is as good as it’s going to get.
