Channing Tatum Talks Gambit & "Magic Mike XXL"

We know that Channing Tatum has previously expressed his desire to play the X-Men's mutant Gambit at some point in the future of the film series and that producer Lauren Shuler Donner is open to the idea.

Now, speaking with MTV, Tatum says the pair have had meetings: "I met with Lauren Schuler Donner. I would love — Gambit's my really only X-Men that I've ever loved. I [mean] I've loved them all, they're all great,  I don't know I guess just being from down south - my dad's from Louisiana and I'm from Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida - I don't know I just related to him... I hope it does [happen]. You never know, it's a weird industry. If the stars align, I would play it. I'm already working on the accent."

So what is it about the character that he loves so much?

"He's just kind of a suave; he's the most un-X-Men X-Man who's ever been in X-Men, other than maybe Wolverine. He's kind of like the anti-hero; he's a thief. He's not even like a hero, he's kind of walking the line of grey. He loves women and drinking and smoking, he's just a cool guy that happens to have a good moral center."

Currrent X-Director Bryan Singer recently told Mexican site CinePremiere, that he wants to have Gambit return for the upcoming "X-Men: Apocalypse"

Friday Night Lights and  "John Carter" star Taylor Kitsch played the character in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

Meantime the Tatum penned sequel "Magic Mike 2" has a release date - July 3rd 2015.

Steven Soderbergh's longtime assistant director Gregory Jacobs ("Criminal," "Wind Chill") is taking over the helm of the film which will go by the name of "Magic Mike XXL". Jacobs served as both assistant director and producer on the first "Magic Mike," while Soderbergh will stay on as an executive producer of the sequel.

While no deals have been signed yet most of the original's key cast members are expected back including Tatum, Matthew McConaughey Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Alex Pettyfer..

 Production hopes to begin in the Fall

Just how much of the original film's cast is coming back considering none of them are under contract to return. Tatum says: "I think everyone's gonna be back, I think. Obviously no one's deals are done which is always kind of scary."

Asked about the plot: "This one will be a road trip movie. Without giving a lot away, we don't wanna make it a really serious, slice-of-life movie. We want to have reality in it, but we don't want to make it some dark drama. There was some darkness in the last one that I think surprised people and shocked people. This one, we want there to be a lot of conflict and a lot of struggle, but we also want there to be a shit-ton of fun. A shit-ton of just ridiculous stuff that you would never see in a movie."