Late last month, word broke that negotiations appeared to be falling through to have Channing Tatum headline 20th Century Fox’s X-Men spinoff, Gambit. At that time, it was said that Blue is the Warmest Color and SPECTRE star Lea Seydoux was among the actresses reading to appear opposite the Magic Mike headliner. As it turned out, Tatum wound up officially signing last week and Deadline today has an update on the film’s female lead. Not only does the outlet claim that Seydoux is still in the running, but they also name two other actresses allegedly on the “short list” for the role: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation‘s Rebecca Ferguson and Mad Max: Fury Road‘s Abbey Lee. What’s more, they claim that the role in question is — as has been widely speculated — that of Bella Donna Boudreaux.
Bella Donna Boudreaux was created by Jim Lee and Scott Lobdell and made her first appearance in 1992’s “X-Men” Vol. 2 #8. The daughter of the leader of the New Orleans Assassins’ Guild, Bella was Remy LeBeau’s first love. LeBeau, a member of the Thieves’ Guild, wound up marrying Bella as part of an arranged ceremony to unite the guilds. Things went bad fast, however, and Gambit was forced to flee New Orleans. Soon thereafter, Bella developed her own mutant ability not entirely dissimilar to Gambit’s. She can create plasma bursts at will.
To be directed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes helmer Rupert Wyatt, Gambit features a script by Josh Zemuter, based on a treatment by Chris Claremont. Tatum, Reid Carolin, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg are producing.
The film is planned to go before cameras in October for an October 7, 2016 release. The movie will follow X-Men spinoff Deadpool on February 15, 2016 and X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27, 2016.
