Channing Tatum teases Gambit’s role in Avengers: Doomsday

Channing Tatum stars as real-life criminal Jeffrey Manchester in Roofman while reviving Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday.

Channing Tatum is stepping into new creative territory with his upcoming role in Roofman, a crime drama directed by Derek Cianfrance, while also preparing to return as Gambit in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday.

In Roofman, set for release on October 10, Tatum plays real-life criminal Jeffrey Manchester, who became notorious in 2004 for escaping prison and secretly living inside a North Carolina Toys R Us. The film also stars Kirsten Dunst as a woman drawn into Manchester’s double life. Cianfrance, known for Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, revived an abandoned Toys R Us store to authentically capture the strange true story.

Tatum, 45, sees the project as a reinvention. After a four-year break from Hollywood, he returned with films like Dog and The Lost City, both box office successes. With Roofman, he embraces a role that blends humor, suspense, and emotional depth, contrasting with his earlier action-driven projects such as G.I. Joe and White House Down.

At the same time, Tatum is revisiting a long-delayed passion project: Gambit. After debuting the character in Deadpool & Wolverine, he will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday, joining the ensemble cast under directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Tatum describes Gambit as “not just a save-the-world kind of guy,” adding depth and contrast to the Marvel lineup.

For Tatum, balancing blockbuster spectacle with intimate storytelling reflects a new chapter in his career. “I’m going to do the big Marvel stuff and then work with filmmakers who challenge me,” he said. Roofman and Avengers: Doomsday mark two sides of that plan.