This Look At Channing Tatum As Gambit Is Flat-Out Magical

Hollywood history is littered with fascinating projects that never came to be. In recent years, this trend has especially affected superhero movies. Due to the popularity of these films, studios are always keen to explore the vaults of Marvel, DC, and other publishers so they can create billion-dollar franchises around these iconic characters. However, as Warner Bros. can attest to, they're often just as quick to abandon these enticing projects shortly after announcing them.

Occasionally, movies that comic book fans desperately want to see fall apart due to legal reasons. A few years ago, Doug Liman was attached to helm a solo "Gambit" movie that would have starred Channing Tatum as the titular card-throwing mutant from the "X-Men" canon. Unfortunately, the film never came to fruition due to Disney's acquisition of Fox, effectively ending Tatum's dream of playing his favorite superhero (per The Strait Times).

Of course, anything is possible in the world of mainstream entertainment. A "Gambit" movie could happen eventually if the right deals are struck between the powers that be. Until then, though, fans will just have to use their imaginations and daydream about Tatum playing the superhero. Thankfully, there are also fans out there with artistic talents who have used their abilities to show the rest of us how Tatum would have looked as the Marvel hero.

Arifinity specializes in creating portraits of iconic superheroes from movies and TV shows that fans know and love. That being said, the artist's greatest talent is the ability to create captivating images for projects that are currently in production or never came to be. Audiences might never get to see Channing Tatum as Gambit for real, but Arifinity created an image that's so convincing, you'd be forgiven for thinking the dormant movie was actually happening.

Over on Instagram, the talented artist shared a digital recreation of Tatum rocking the Gambit get-up, fancy hairdo and all, while holding an ace of spades card engulfed in purple flames. Sadly, seeing the impressive imagining of Tatum as Gambit only makes the film's current non-existent status all the more upsetting.

However, while the Gambit movie is a tale of wondering what could have been, Arifinity's followers appreciated the artistry on display in the picture. For example, one user by the name of @pankajgodaraa5 encouraged other social media users to "promote it." Elsewhere, another user, @waldroid, showed their appreciation by claiming that they needed Arifinity's "work ethic."