Ah, if the whirlwind success of Deadpool & Wolverine has taught us anything, is it that the charisma of Ryan Reynolds as ‘The Merc with a Mouth’ continues to soar higher than a kite in a windstorm, even after our last rendezvous in Deadpool 2. The spellbinding pull of its box office performance is akin to finding a pot of gold, where the magic of Reynolds’ portrayal keeps audiences coming back for more.
And how can we forget the ensemble of stars like Chris Evans, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Garner, and Dafne Keen returning to the fray? But not every character gets their time in the spotlight. Take Channing Tatum’s Gambit, for example. The actor spent years working on a Gambit spin-off film in the X-Men franchise, only for it to be met with a series of setbacks and ultimately canceled amidst the transition from 20th Century Fox to Disney.
And it was Shawn Levy who almost came to helm this project.
What Could’ve Been: Channing Tatum’s Gambit Under Shawn Levy’s Direction?
In an alternate universe, we might’ve been munching popcorn while watching the kinetic cards of a stand-alone Gambit movie flicker to life, helmed by Shawn Levy, with Channing Tatum suavely throwing down the winning hand.
Before Deadpool & Wolverine even hit the drawing board, there were grand plans for a Gambit spinoff that became as elusive as a phantom. Alas, the project was like a ship lost at sea, tossed about by the ever-changing tides of Hollywood’s whims. According to Levy’s recent chat with Happy Sad Confused, he revealed that he was one of many directors who met with Tatum about the project. But unfortunately, it never came to fruition:
I was 1 of like 70 directors who years ago met with Channing about directing his Gambit movie at Fox and it never quite happened.
It seems that Gambit was a project plagued by development issues from the start (see Collider). Its troubles began long before Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, a period during which Fox had grand ambitions for the X-Men franchise. However, Gambit’s solo outing was beset by development hell, ultimately sinking amid the upheaval between Fox and Disney.
The bitter journey of this film mirrors the fate of Mahershala Ali’s Blade reboot. Both projects faced a storm of development issues & delays.
Blade: The Fallout of Mahershala Ali’s Film
Marvel Studios has made a name for itself by transforming even the most obscure comic book characters into cinematic gold. Yet, among its roster of comic adaptations, Blade has proven to be a particularly stubborn nut to crack. First announced with great fanfare at Comic-Con 2019 (via MovieWeb), the Daywalker’s journey to the big screen has been a rollercoaster of delays and setbacks.
Originally slated to appear on November 7, 2025, the film’s release will mark a six-year odyssey from its initial announcement. Despite Marvel’s track record of turning seemingly impossible characters into box-office hits, Blade has been anything but precise.
The latest hiccup in Blade’s saga came in June, when the film lost its second director, Yann Demange, igniting a fresh wave of speculation about the film’s troubled development. According to The Hollywood Reporter, disappointment levels are rising, with the film’s star, Mahershala Ali, reportedly “increasingly frustrated”.
Ali, who has been pivotal to the film’s journey, handpicked Demange after the previous director, Bassam Tariq, exited in 2022. Tariq’s departure was a significant blow, coming just as the movie was poised to begin shooting.
Marvel Studios’ dissatisfaction with Tariq led them to present Ali with a new list of potential directors. To everyone’s surprise, the Oscar-winning actor took matters into his own hands, conducting his own search for a director.
Ali’s influence extends beyond just director choices. He enlisted Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of True Detective, to pen the screenplay (see ComicBookMovie). However, just as the script was gaining traction, the writer’s strike hit, throwing another wrench into Blade’s already troubled production.
Long story short, Blade’s journey has been anything but smooth. The film’s protracted development, marked by director changes, script issues, and behind-the-scenes drama, mirrors the struggles of a vampire hunter in a world filled with obstacles. Only time will tell if this film will finally emerge from the shadows and sink its fangs into the hearts of audiences!
