Channing Tatum Officially Signs on as 'Gambit'

Channing Tatum has officially closed the deal on the 20th Century's Fox "X-Men" spinoff movie, "Gambit." After rumors surfaced last week that he was prepared to walk off the "Gambit" production, the American actor officially signed on to play the part.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Tatum and Fox hit a snag in negotiations, which gave rise to speculations the actor would be exiting the project.

However, delays brought about by the back-and-forth in the middle of negotiations was deemed a normal part of deal-making between actors and filmmakers, and Tatum had already invested much of his time lobbying for the solo movie to be made to give up his prospective role as actor and producer in the film.

According to Cinemablend, negotiations centering around a money issue was one of the reasons negotiations turned "sensitive." However, both Tatum and Fox were able to reach a compromise for both parties to sign the contract making it official.

Considered the major driving force behind getting the film project front and center, Tatum has been tied to the mutant solo movie for the last couple of years, even appearing with the cast of "X-Men" at Fox's Comic-Con panel

Audiences will soon be seeing the "Magic Mike" actor on the big screen playing the mutant with the power to harness kinetic energy.

With his own standalone film in the "X-Men" franchise, fans are likely to see Tatum commit to a multi-film contract as Gambit, similar to Hugh Jackman's "Wolverine" movies.

Rupert Wyatt, who helmed "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," will be directing the "Gambit" movie, with Josh Zetumer who wrote "RoboCop" doing the screenplay based on a treatment written by "Gambit" co-creator, Chris Claremont.

Tatum, together with Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Reid Carolin are slated to produce the film, which is scheduled for U.S. theater release on Oct. 7, 2016.