With X-Men spinoff movie Gambit expected to begin filming later this year, casting on the project is heating up. The latest report indicates that S.P.E.C.T.R.E. actress Lea Seydoux has been offered a leading role in the film opposite star Channing Tatum.
Seydoux’s potential involvement in the film was initially rumored a while back, and while the deal (as reported by Deadline) is still unconfirmed and entirely unofficial at this point, the French actress certainly seems like a good fit for the role of Gambit’s mutant paramour, Bella Donna Boudreaux.
Originally appearing in a 1992 issue of Marvel’s X-Men series, Bella Donna Boudreaux was the daughter of the leader of New Orleans’ Guild of Assassins and a childhood friend of Remy LeBeau (a.k.a. Gambit), the adopted son of the the leader of the Guild of Thieves. Remy and Bella Donna were paired up in an arranged marriage intended to unite the two rival guilds, but he eventually ran into trouble and was exiled from Louisiana. The skilled thief eventually crossed paths with the X-Men, and went on to become one of the most popular members of the mutant team in the ’90s.
A powerful mutant with powers similar to Gambit, Bella Donna has been both an ally and enemy of Gambit over the years.
Seydoux, who played a supporting role in last year’s Oscar-nominated film The Grand Budapest Hotel, will also appear in the upcoming 24th installment of the James Bond franchise, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. She’ll play a character named Madeleine Swann in the movie, and appears in some of the trailers for the film.
Directed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Rupert Wyatt, Gambit stars Tatum in the title role. The film is expected to begin filming in October, and is currently scheduled to hit theaters October 7, 2016.
