Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine
In 2014, Channing Tatum was cast to play the beloved X-Men character Gambit in what was supposed to be a Gambit standalone movie. After five years in limbo, the project was scrapped when Disney either merged with or diverged from whatever timeline we shifted to in 2016 (the jury’s still out), and bought out 21st Century Fox. Channing, who is a Gambit fan, was devastated. Enter Ryan Reynolds. Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan and Hugh Jackman, is heavy on the multiverse and timeline. As such, it has been dedicated to righting some of the wrongs done to actors on this timeline. (See: Henry Cavill, whose f-ck you cameo to DC is perfection.) In the movie, Channing got his own sliver of redemption, finally getting the chance to play the character that got away. He’s so grateful for the opportunity, and gives Ryan all the credit.
Channing Tatum’s love for Ryan Reynolds goes deep. On Monday, the “21 Jump Street” star posted a pair of Instagram photos that showed him and the “Deadpool” actor attending San Diego Comic-Con back in 2015 and almost a whole decade later at this weekend’s event.
The now-and-then snapshots were teamed with a heartfelt caption in which Tatum thanked his friend for supporting him through thick and thin. Writing about how he witnessed the first preview of the first “Deadpool” movie at Comic-Con nearly 10 years ago, the “Magic Mike” star remembered, “I ran back stage right after and found him and I think I just hugged him and was like holy shit you did it man.”
“It’s perfect,” he said of the full-circle moment. “I didn’t know him really at all back then. But since then I can say that there is almost no one that has had my back in this industry more than Ryan.”
Tatum, who appears in the new “Deadpool & Wolverine” as the X-Men character Gambit, then thanked Reynolds for helping him make his superhero dreams a reality.
“I thought I had lost Gambit forever,” he said, referring to how he was first cast as the Cajun mutant in a standalone Gambit film only for the project to be shelved by Disney in 2019.
“But he fought for me and Gambit,” Tatum said. “I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me.”
“I love ya buddy. Shawn Levy as well,” he wrote, giving a shoutout to “Deadpool & Wolverine” director Levy. “Truly such a brilliant creator on every single level.”
“All things happen for a reason. I’m so grateful to be in this movie,” the “Fly Me to the Moon” actor added. “It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure bad ass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!!”
Reynolds’ help finally getting Gambit onto the screen clearly meant the world to Tatum, who previously told Variety that when his initial X-Men project was canceled, he was so heartbroken he couldn’t bear to watch anything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Once Gambit went away, I was so traumatized… I shut off my Marvel machine,” he said in 2022. “I haven’t been able to see any of the movies. I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him.”
You can tell just how grateful Channing is for finally getting the chance to play Gambit. We hear stories about how disappointed actors are when projects they have their hopes on don’t work out, so I’m happy for Channing. I know that Ryan isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he really does have a reputation for being there for his coworkers and friends. Everyone needs a friend like that. He and Tatum have also appeared together in Free Guy, Bullet Train, and Calamity Hustle, so when Channing says Ryan has his back, it’s based on an actual friendship and working relationship. The way they were cleverly able and allowed to fit in all of the appearances and cameos into Deadpool & Wolverine was really fun. Since Marvel is in the process of retooling, I wonder how many of these actors we’ll see in upcoming MCU films. Maybe Channing will get his chance at a Gambit movie after all.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Eventfoto54 / Avalon and Getty