Shawn Levy Says He Met With Channing Tatum About ‘Gambit’ Film In ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Spoiler Cameo Discussion

Look, it’s been two weekends, so you’ve had time to really go and see “Deadpool & Wolverine.” So, we are going to discuss the cameos from the film. Consider this a sort of spoiler warning.

Still here? Great. 

In a new interview with Variety, “Deadpool & Wolverine” filmmaker Shawn Levy broke down pretty much every major cameo found in the film. He goes into detail about asking the actors to make cameos and why they were important for the film. 

READ MORE: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: [Spoiler] Says “I Will Owe Him Probably Forever” After Ryan Reynolds Asked Him To Cameo 

The two biggest surprises were clearly Wesley Snipes as Blade and Channing Tatum as Gambit. The former has been a iconic character in film for nearly 30 years, and the latter was attached to what was seemingly a cursed development. But both of them get redemption thanks to Ryan Reynolds and Co. 

As for how Snipes became involved, Levy said, “Wesley’s return as Blade was a very early idea of Ryan’s. We wanted to explore themes of legacy, characters and their endings. Ryan had said, ‘Blade never really got that moment, and I think people don’t even realize how much they miss Wesley Snipes as Blade until they see him. Let’s give them that feeling.’ So, Ryan reached out to Wesley.”

Reynolds obviously knew Snipes because they both starred in the third “Blade” film, “Blade: Trinity.” 

READ MORE: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’: [Spoiler] Came Back Because Ryan Reynolds Has “The Midas Touch”

With Gambit, it was Shawn Levy who was doing some of the convincing. Levy said that he previously met with Tatum about directing the “Gambit” film, but nothing came from it. That’s not shocking, as there was a laundry list of qualified filmmakers who attempted to bring the “Gambit” film to life.

“What went into this, first and foremost, is a decade of Channing wanting to play this part and a decade of Channing almost playing this part at Fox,” said Levy. “I know this personally because back in those years, I was one of 25 different directors who met with Channing about directing the Fox ‘Gambit’ movie, and yet it never quite happened. So when we decided to have Gambit in this movie, we knew it would be deeply gratifying for Channing.”

For many, the Gambit appearance was the funniest one of the group. So, even though he never got a full film, it appears Tatum’s Gambit holds a special place in the hearts of millions now. 

Levy goes deeper into more of the cameos in the full Variety piece. It’s definitely worth a read. And here’s a recent post on Twitter from Shawn Levy, showcasing the cameos:

Director Heaven pic.twitter.com/1zWwpvMPVD

— Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) August 5, 2024