Over the last couple of years, Marvel Studios finally delivered the best live-action take yet on one of the X-Men’s most popular characters, Remy LeBeau (better known as Gambit). Known for his Bayou roots, Gambit made his way into the MCU for the first time in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, with Channing Tatum donning the classic leather jacket and deck of cards. This came after Tatum tried for years to get a Gambit solo movie off the ground in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men saga before Marvel Studios purchased Fox and took over the rights to the mutants.
While Tatum’s Gambit (who will also return in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday) became a hit, it was not the first time he came to the big screen. That honor went to Taylor Kitsch, who took on a small supporting role in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine alongside Hugh Jackman. Showing off his own card skills, Gambit helped Wolverine find William Stryker and the Weapon X program and returned in the movie’s final moments to assist Wolverine after he lost his memory. Now, 17 years after this movie blasted into theaters, new quotes have revealed another actor who was in line to play the role before Kitsch.
During a panel with MovieWeb‘s Joe Deckelmeier at Fan Expo Boston 2026, Josh Holloway shared that he was almost cast as Gambit in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Alongside fellow Lost star Henry Ian Cusick in front of a record-breaking crowd, Holloway said that he actually got the role, with star Hugh Jackman telling him, “See you on set. You’re him.” Unfortunately, by the time he got home, the studio executives called Holloway and told him that they “want Josh Holloway 10 years younger,” leading to them giving the role to Taylor Kitsch instead. When asked about how far the casting opportunity came, Holloway confessed:
“They said I got it. They actually were sitting in contact, and I read with Hugh Jackman at the time, I was big on Hugh Jackman, and I learned all these tricks online. Like, I could spin a card on my finger while I was talking and do all these cuts and learn to throw cards. You can learn all the stuff in it, ‘Wow, this is actually really useful.’ And I did the reading with him, and he hugged me and said, ‘See you on set. You’re him.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, great! Thank you, Mr. Jackman.’ And then by the time I got home, I got a call … said the studio head called and said they want Josh Holloway 10 years younger. So they went over and got Taylor Kitsch. He was great.”
Considering the support Holloway had for playing Gambit, it is certainly disappointing to hear that his experience with the character ended so abruptly before it even began. While it is still unclear if he has an interest in joining the superhero role in another capacity for Marvel at a later date, this will always stand as a massive “what if?” moment when looking back at the X-Men saga’s history.
Now, Gambit is expected to have a bright future for Marvel Studios, with Tatum playing the role in Avengers: Doomsday and potentially coming back for 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. Marvel is also actively casting for its first X-Men movie with director Jake Schreier; although Gambit is not locked in for a role in this movie, all signs seem to indicate the card-throwing charm machine will be part of that new wave of heroes.
