Marvel is “obsessed with him in this role”

It’s unclear what the future of Channing Tatum’s Gambit looks like in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after its triumphant debut in Deadpool and Wolverinebut the film’s actor, writer and executive producer Ryan Reynolds says Marvel is “obsessed” with the achievement. Some would say that’s a good sign.

“I honestly don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors in the accounting meetings at Marvel, but I know they’re obsessed with him in this role,” Reynolds says of Tatum’s card-slinging Cajun mutant On Weekly entertainment‘S Prize winner Podcast. “It’s a bit like the same situation I went through. Once you show it works well, it’s what they really need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action.”

Reynolds is referring to the test footage from Deadpool that leaked in 2014 and proved to the studio that there was enough hype to move forward with a film. Earlier this year, Reynolds admitted that he “may have provided some assistance” in the leak. He hopes in a similar way Deadpool and Wolverine may be a proof of concept for Marvel to bring Tatum back as Gambit.

“And Channing is so unique in the way he plays this character,” Reynolds continues, “but he’s also so physically beautiful in the way he moves and the way he can take steps.”

Before Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the studio that originally owned the film rights to Marvel heroes such as the X-Team with the power to convert potential energy into kinetic energy. In other words, he imbues everything he touches with an explosive charge, usually using a deck of playing cards and a staff as his signature offensive weapons.

Development on the film was completely halted after Disney added Fox to its roster, but Reynolds and director Shawn Levy were able to give Tatum his dream of playing the character Deadpool and Wolverinewhich is also an ode to the Fox era of Marvel films. The team released a not-fully-deleted scene online to show that Gambit survives in the end. (The scene appeared on a small screen in the background of a certain scene, but went largely unnoticed until Reynolds & Co. released it in its entirety online.)

However, it is not yet known whether another attempt is possible for Tatum or not. “I hope so,” Reynolds notes.

Listen to EW’s entirety Prize winner Podcast episode with Reynolds, Levy and Hugh Jackman as they discuss Deadpool and Wolverineincluding the time they tried to get Nicolas Cage to return as Ghost Rider.