Gambit was announced over half a decade ago, and it has been stuck in development hell since 2014. Despite having a big name actor signed to star in the title role, that being Channing Tatum, the movie has been seemingly unable to get off the ground. Tatum has previously mentioned his desire to play the hero originating from New Orleans and his refusal to leave the project speaks to that point. The film has been unable to find a director willing to commit to it, and rumors that Tatum is willing to direct the project himself have been passed around. While by no means a major Marvel character, Gambit would introduce a relatively unknown character to theatergoers, and it could potentially be a test sample for Disney to see how the X-Men could work in their Marvel Cinematic Universe without directly committing to the idea quite yet.

In the age of superhero films, many audiences are tired of overblown, "the sky is falling" type superhero battles, which may make a smaller character like Gambit more appealing to audiences. If you need an example, look at the audience-beloved Marvel Netflix shows like Luke Cage and Daredevil, both of which focus on smaller-scale conflicts and are highly praised, despite their unpopular cancellations. 

Gambit could be a way to subtlety introduce the X-Men into the MCU in a style reminiscent of Phase 1's films. Iron Man 2 and others movies of Phase 1 focused mainly on subtle nods to acknowledge the existence of additional superheroes, rather than the Spider-Man: Homecoming style of a full-on crossover. Keeping a largely self-contained story is a great way to produce a quality film and increase interest in the character of Gambit and of the eventual arrival of more X-Men. This would work as an excellent way to bring the MCU back to a ground-level, as well. 

Of course, the idea of not even connecting Gambit could serve the film well if Marvel is not ready to pull the trigger on the X-Men quite yet. The film could be used as a means to contribute to the soon-concluding Fox X-Men franchise. It may be a little late in the game to introduce a new character, so maybe the powers that be could give Gambit his own solo film with no connection to the others happening, similar to the upcoming Joker film. This would actually allow for the film to just focus on itself, rather than appealing to a larger universe. 

Furthermore, in the age of representation that we live in today, it is important to try and give as many people as possible a hero to relate to who looks, thinks, and talks like they do. While there is no drought of white, male heroes, giving the southern Cajun audience someone to relate to could be a way to make more people feel included in the broader nerd culture, and the more the merrier. 

According to Simon Kinberg, the film has not been officially cancelled, but Disney is currently going through Fox's planned projects and determining what is staying and what is getting axed. Let's work together to show that there is interest in this character and this film. It doesn't matter how they decide they want to do it, whether it's connected to a larger franchise or just on its own, but give Gambit a chance! It's already been started and fans have been waiting for years to see this project finally fulfilled. Channing Tatum has spoke of his love for the character, and that kind of passion for a project and role leads to some pretty great things. 

Currently, Gambit is still billed for a release date of March 13, 2020, but since filming has yet to begin, that seems unlikely. Let's make this delay the last one and finally get Gambit into theaters!