Ever since Channing Tatum nearly walked away from Gambit, Lea Seydoux (Spectre, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) was among one of the frontrunners for the female lead. Tatum would eventually stay on to play the titular character after working out a new deal, but actresses would join Seydoux for the opportunity to star opposite the 21 Jump Street actor. Among those female lead shortlist names were Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, The Girl on the Train) and Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road, Neon Demon). Chemistry tests were held last week to see who would be best suited for the role of Belladonna Boudreaux aka Bella, but with Ferguson now in talks for The Girl on the Train, it would come down to either Seydoux or Lee.

Now there is confirmation that Seydoux will star in her third big budget blockbuster, by entering Fox’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. More on this story below.

After nearly departing from the title role, Channing Tatum is officially signed on for Gambit. During Tatum’s negotiations, Lea Seydoux (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Spectre) was in talks to play the female lead, though who the character was and her connection to Gambit, was a bit unclear. But with everything squared away, and a start date looming, the testing phase for other characters can begin, and it looks like director Rupert Wyatt has narrowed down his choice for the female lead to three actresses.

A new report says that Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation star Rebecca Ferguson tops the shortlist.

More on this story and who else is on the list below.

Things weren’t looking good for the production of Gambit. It was reported that Channing Tatum may have had to drop out of the title role because he wanted to pursue other projects, namely a directorial debut. The actor had expressed interest in playing the Ragin’ Cajun back in 2013. Producer Lauren Shuler Donner then said that the actor had signed on, though we are learning that he was more attached to the project then confirmed for the role. Tatum even made a surprise appearance at the Fox panel at Comic-Con this year, leading many to believe that he was going to be Gambit.

But the news of Tatum departing from Gambit apparently has been greatly exaggerated, as it has been confirmed that the actor has officially signed a deal. It is also being reported that the deal may not have been in jeopardy as first thought.

More on the story below.

Channing Tatum made a surprise guest appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con a few weeks back to help promote Gambit during the panels for Fox’s Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse. Unfortunately he was unable to bring any footage, for the film was scheduled to start shooting later this fall for an October 2016 release. But the studio was able to reveal the title card, which took the form of a playing card of all things. On all accounts it looked like there wasn’t any pre-production trouble.

But now a new report says that Tatum may want out of Gambit, but it’s not quite for the reasons you may think of. More on the story below.

Channing Tatum may be the title character in the tentatively titled Gambit, the upcoming X-Men film spinoff based on the character of the same name.

Even though the film had a script, it was lacking a director. Now there is a new report that says Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Gambler) has signed on to direct the film. Find out more about the story below.