The Channing Tatum ‘Gambit’ Movie Was Supposed To Feature X-Men Villain Mister Sinister
Remember theGambitmovie?Channing Tatumwas all set to star as the Cajun mutant (even getting anatrocious haircutfor the role) in a buzzyX-Mensolo spin-off movie that went through numerous directors and writers before falling into oblivion after the Disney-Fox merger. Doug Liman was the last director to be attached to the film before he hammered the last nail in its coffin with an unforgiving, “It’s done.” But as recently as 2016,Gambitwasn’t done.X-Men: Apocalypsewriter andDark PhoenixdirectorSimon Kinbergrevealed that the nonsensical end-credits scene inApocalypsewere actually planting the seeds for a futureGambitfilm, teasing the film’s original intended villain,Mister Sinister.
During a watch-along even ofX-Men: Days of Future Pastwith withIGN, Kinberg dropped some trivia about the future plans for 20th Century Fox’s now-deadX-Menfranchise. Kinberg revealed that the end credits sequence fromX-Men: Apocalypsewas supposed to set up Mister Sinister, a notorious gene-splicing villain who has frequently clashed with the X-Men:
“We had a tease of it at the end ofApocalypse.The Essex Corp is something that you see in a tag at the end ofApocalypse. 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 theGambitmovie starring Channing Tatum.”
The post-credits scene, if you remember, followed a group of men in black suits as they visit the Weapon X facility to retrieve an X-ray and blood sample marked “Weapon X” on behalf of the Essex Corporation. The involvement of Weapon X lead many believe the post-credits scene was related to 2017’sLogan, but the Essex Corp. does indeed have ties to Mister Sinister. Mister Sinister is a “19th Century scientist Nathaniel Essex was genetically mutated by Apocalypse, who shared his philosophy of Social Darwinism. Becoming the immortal Mister Sinister, he is perhaps the greatest geneticist in the world; capable of cloning, creating, enhancing, and controlling mutant abilities,” according toComic Vine.
Kinberg clarifies that no one was ever cast in the role of Mister Sinister, so you’re able to put to bedthose rumors that Jon Hammwould appear as the villain inNew Mutants. Honestly, it’s all par for the course for a movie that was so long embattled asGambitwas.
