Josh Holloway Reveals He Was Initially Cast as Gambit in X-Men Origins Before Being Replaced for a Younger Actor

It turns out that a long-standing rumor about casting has some truth to it, as Josh Holloway, known for his role in Lost, has shared that he was once cast as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but was ultimately dropped due to his age.

“Well, Gambit was one. In fact, I read with Hugh Jackman and got the part,” Holloway revealed. “I even learned the card tricks and everything.” However, Marvel decided to move in a different direction. “They hugged me, said, ‘You’re it! I’ll see you on set.’ By the end of that evening, the studio head called and said, ‘We want someone 10 years younger.’ So they went with Taylor Kitsch,” he continued. At the time, Holloway would have been 40, while Kitsch was just 28.

The 2009 film, featuring Jackman as Wolverine, saw Logan pulled out of early retirement when a shadowy figure from his past kills his girlfriend. X-Men Origins was the fourth installment in the franchise and introduced new mutants like Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, and Lynn Collins as Silver Fox.

In hindsight, this may not have been a significant loss for Holloway, as Kitsch only portrayed the card-throwing hero in that single film, and Gambit didn’t reappear until Channing Tatum made a surprise cameo as Remy LeBeau in the upcoming 2024 film Deadpool and Wolverine. X-Men Origins, on the other hand, struggled at the box office and currently holds a disappointing 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Tatum is set to reprise his role as Gambit in the upcoming MCU film Avengers: Doomsday. Additionally, several original Fox X-Men stars will return, including Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, and James Marsden as Cyclops. Fans got a sneak peek of this trio in a recent teaser for Doomsday featuring the classic mutants.

Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.