There has been a talk that "Gambit" producers are seeking for a female lead opposite Channing Tatum, and they are testing young actresses for the said role. At the present, it seems that the search is over because there are reports claiming that the role has already been offered to a French actress.
According to Deadline, Lea Seydoux has been offered to star in Fox's upcoming X-Men spinoff, "Gambit," alongside Tatum. The report suggests that apart from Seydoux, the studio's shortlist of potential actresses for the role of Bella Donna Boudreaux includes Abbey Lee ("Mad Max: Fury Road") and Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation"). The latter dropped out for another opportunity and took the lead role for DreamWork's movie adaptation of "The Girl on the Train."
Seydoux's name was first associated to Bella Donna in late July. It was a close competition among the three actresses until Ferguson backed out, according to CinemaBlend.
A separate report from CinemaBlend says that Bella Donna is one of the four central antagonists in the film. The report describes her as "Vera- Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s - early 30s. Beautiful, smart, tough, fiery and unpredictable."
Bella Donna is a childhood friend of Remy LeBeau. The drama of their relationship springs from the fact that they are from two opposing groups. Remy is part of the Thieves Guild while Bella Donna is the granddaughter of the Assassin's Guild's leader. Their family tried to reunite the two groups by arranging Remy and Bella Donna in marriage. However, the plan did not go well.
Bella's brother, Julien Boudreaux challenged Remy in a duel following Bella and Remy's wedding. Unfortunately, "Gambit" killed him, and he was exiled from the city. After his exile, he wandered around the world and turned to be a professional thief.
If Seydoux accepts the offer, she will be the second actor to sign on for the project following Tatum, who will play the titular superhero. The actress is known for her in the highly acclaimed French film, "Blue Is The Warmest Color." She also stars in the Hollywood blockbuster, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," and will star in the upcoming James Bond film, "Spectre," alongside Daniel Craig.
Her experiences suggest that she has a good amount of ass-kicking ability and fighting skills. However, she may need to hone her action skills in "Gambit."
According to Variety, Chris Claremont and Jim Lee created "Gambit" in 1990. The character was an expert card-thrower with the ability to create, control and manipulate kinetic energy mentally.
"Gambit" will be released on Oct. 7, 2016. The movie is Fox's eighth "X-Men" movie.
