Now that 20th Century Fox has secured Channing Tatum for "Gambit," their "X-Men" spin-off film, the studios are now set to screen test three actresses for the lead female role. According to a report from Deadline, this casting shortlist includes Lea Seydoux, Rebecca Ferguson, and Abbey Lee.
Lea Seydoux is mostly known for her French film "Blue is the Warmest Color" but she is starting to make strides in Hollywood with her role in "Inglorious Basterds" and her villainous role in "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" as well as her recent addition as a Bond girl in the upcoming James Bond film, "Spectre."
Rebecca Ferguson is also widely recognized for being a part of the "Mission Impossible" franchise as she is the lead female in the recently released "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation." She was also in 2014's "Hercules" which starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Abbey Lee is recognized for her work in "Mad Max: Fury Road" as The Dag. She is also starring in "The Neon Demon" and "Gods of Egypt." All three films are high-profile pieces, particularly "Mad Max," but she hasn't been the lead in any of them. If she gets the role for "Gambit," then this will be the biggest role in her career up to this point.
The role the actresses are testing for is that of Belladonna Boudreaux, head of the Assassins Guild and childhood love of Remy LeBeau aka Gambit.
In the "X-Men" comic books, Gambit and Belladonna have both been rivals and lovers, sometimes both at the same time, due to the rivalries of their guilds and associates. They were arranged for marriage in order to unite the Assassins Guild and the Thieves Guild, of which Gambit eventually became the leader, but this union never came to pass.
"Gambit" is scheduled to be released on Oct. 7, 2016. There is no word yet at the time of writing if the film will have characters from other "X-Men" films crossing over such as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) or Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).
