Channing Tatum unsuccessfully auditioned to play Thor

Channing Tatum once unsuccessfully auditioned to play Thor.

The actor, now 45, told Variety his bid to appear in Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film Thor ended in disappointment after he struggled to follow direction during the audition – years before he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe by making his debut as Gambit in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Chris Hemsworth, 41, went on to land the Thor role and has continued to portray the God of Thunder in the franchise.

Channing said about his disastrous attempt to get the part: “I didn’t really want to be Thor. But I wanted to audition in front of Kenneth Branagh.”

He added: “After I did one take, (Kenneth) was like, ‘You’re not allowed to move. Put your hands on this chair’.

“And I froze. He nailed my crutch. I spent the next five years really trying to learn stillness.”

Although he missed out on the role of Thor, Channing went on to develop a solo Gambit film at 20th Century Fox, part of the X-Men franchise.

The project was originally set for release in October 2016 but was repeatedly delayed due to script rewrites and other setbacks.

In November 2017, Variety reported Lizzy Caplan had joined the cast as the female lead.

The film was later scrapped entirely after Disney acquired Fox.

Speaking to Variety in 2022, Channing admitted he was left deeply disappointed.

He said: “I shut off my Marvel machine. I haven’t been able to see any of the movies. I loved that character. It was just too sad. It was like losing a friend because I was so ready to play him.”

That changed with his surprise appearance in Deadpool and Wolverine, released in 2024.

Channing shared a statement on social media after the premiere.

He said: “I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But (Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds) fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me.

“I love ya buddy… I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure bad ass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater.”

In a full-circle turn, Channing’s Gambit and Chris’ Thor are set to appear together in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on 18 December 2026.