Fox was quick to snap up Channing Tatum when the hot actor expressed interest in playing mutant thief Gambit, but after that, development seems to have dragged as the studio struggled to find a director and decide whether to use its already in-production movies to set up ‘Gambit.’ But with Rupert Wyatt now set to helm, things are on track.  Shooting is set to begin in New Orleans starting in October.  This is fitting as the Big Easy is the shifty mutant’s home turf in the comics.  The plot is rumored to center on the rivalry between the Thief and Assassin Guilds that rule the underworld.  Obviously, Gambit is part of the Thief Guild.

The movie has secretly been in development under the pseudonym ‘Chess.’  Now the ‘Chess’ casting call has been leaked.  The names, like that of the film, are bogus.  Now to figure out who these mystery characters are.

This is how the casting call lists the roles:

Louis– Male, any ethnicity, 40s-50s. Elegant and intelligent. An appealing entrepreneur with an unexpected dark side.

Vera– Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. Beautiful, smart, tough, fiery and unpredictable.

Wes– Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – mid 30s. Aspirational but weak minded. Soulful and sensitive.

Fritz– Male, any ethnicity, 40s – 50s. A professional thief. Charismatic con-artist. Warm-hearted but untrustworthy.

Nash– Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. A potent threat. Heir to his mother’s business. Malevolent.

Willhelm– Male, any ethnicity, 30s. Dangerous street criminal. Protective and loyal to his family. Intensely loyal and violent.

Gary– Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s – early 30s. A little simple; dim-witted and passive.

Nonna—Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s – 30 years old.  Uptight, corporate, vicious, sexual.

Joe– Male, any ethnicity, 30s. He’s a gun for hire. He is the black sheep of his family. Not from good breeding but from a working class family.

Ben–Male, any ethnicity, 20s. Just reaching adulthood. A street kid, a disaffected outsider, an orphan.

Boris–Male, Hispanic, 20s. Charming, handsome, and dangerous..

Clarissa– Female, mixed race, 10 – 12 years old. Ethereal and other worldly. Very expressive.

Wolfgang– Male, authentic French, 40s. A French criminal. Must speak fluent French.

Howard– Male, Caucasian. 50s. A refined European mobster who speaks fluent French.

Well, I can’t say for certain, but I would hazard to guess that one of the women, “Vera” or more likely “Nonna” is code for Belladonna (Belladonna, Nonna?), Gambit’s first wife via arranged marriage.  One of the males, then (“Wes?”), could be her brother Julien, who objected to the marriage and was killed by Gambit in a duel.  The fact that his name appears first on the list, I would think that “Louis” is probably the film’s Big Bad and considering Gambit’s past in the comics, my money is on Mr. Sinister.  Of course the comic book Sinister is a white-skinned, larger than life super villain.  I would imagine the film version will be a more realistic adaptation.

The rest are either from deep in Gambit’s lore– deeper than I am familiar with– or could be random X-characters plucked from the X-Men’s vast mythology.  If it’s the latter, the vague descriptions aren’t enough to figure out who they really are.

Do you have any guesses?  Who will be Gambit’s supporting cast?

Source: Showbiz 411