This Story About Josh Holloway Losing Gambit Role In X-Men Origins Proves How Brutal Hollywood Can Be

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Superhero movies remain incredibly popular, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Before the trend of connected movie universes, the X-Men films were pioneers in bringing comic book characters to the big screen. Beyond the main X-Men movies, we also saw two standalone films starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, beginning with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which is currently available on Disney+. Recently, actor Josh Holloway shared a story about how he lost the role of Gambit, highlighting the tough realities of working in the film industry.

Okay, so everyone knows Channing Tatum is playing Gambit now, both in the new Deadpool & Wolverine and he’s set to join the Avengers: Doomsday crew. But did you know Gambit actually first appeared on screen in the original Wolverine movie? Taylor Kitsch played him, but it’s crazy to think it almost wasn’t him! I was reading over at Collider that Josh Holloway – you might remember him from Lost – recently talked about how he was cast as Gambit, and then the role was suddenly taken away. Apparently, it was a really weird experience for him.

I actually auditioned for the role of Gambit and even read with Hugh Jackman – I thought I’d landed the part! They were thrilled and told me I was cast, saying they’d see me on set. But later that same night, the studio decided they wanted someone younger and went with Taylor Kitsch instead. I always wonder if he might revisit the role, but I’m grateful for the experience – I even learned how to do card tricks for the audition!

It’s tough enough dealing with rejection in auditions, but finding out you’ve booked a big role—like in X-Men Origins: Wolverine—only to have the studio change its mind is especially painful. To make matters worse, it seems Holloway may have lost the chance to play Gambit because of his age, adding insult to injury.

Fans were really excited to see Gambit brought to life in the movie Origins: Wolverine, as he’s a popular X-Men character. Josh Holloway was a strong contender for the role, especially since his time on Lost was coming to an end. Unfortunately, the studio decided he was too old for the part, even after offering him the role verbally following a successful audition.

Disney+ offers a streaming library including Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and X-Men films, like Origins: Wolverine. You can start streaming with ads for as little as $11.99 per month. For an ad-free experience, it’s $18.99 monthly, or you can save 16% by paying $189.99 annually. See the deal here.

Taylor Kitsch recently said he hadn’t seen Channing Tatum play Gambit in Deadpool 3, which made me think about Josh Holloway. I wonder if he ever watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine, especially since he was originally cast as Gambit but lost the role. It’s easy to see why he might have avoided it, and I can’t help but imagine how great he would have looked in the Gambit costume in a big-budget movie.

As we’ve discussed, Channing Tatum made his first appearance as Gambit in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine movie, and he’s already set to play the character again in Avengers: Doomsday. Gambit has also been featured recently in the animated series X-Men ’97 and the video game Marvel Rivals.

Josh Holloway remains active in his career, recently appearing in a funny cameo in The Paper. You can currently watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Disney+, and Tatum will reprise his role as Gambit when Avengers: Doomsday comes out on December 18th, 2026.

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2026-01-21 20:12