Ready to watch Channing Tatum’s audition tape for Gambit?
You’re watching Beyond The Trailer’s review of Jupiter Ascending...
Yes, some of us X-Men fans are nervous. Channing Tatum is about to become a big part of Fox’s
X-Men cinematic universe, debuting his version of the Ragin’ Cajun in X-Men Apocalypse
in May 2016 - and then getting a solo Gambit movie later the very same year. What’s Jupiter
Ascending got to do with that? Well, it’s Tatum’s first sci-fi action film - complete
with a crazy get-up and copious special effects. How far a leap IS it from dancing to fighting?
Tatum, who got his start in Step Up, can leap pretty far - and he’s certainly proven his
versatility with the Jump Street films and Foxcatcher, or at the very least his willingness
to take a risk. And working with the Wachowskis is definitely a big risk. The creative duo
is certainly as highly regarded as some of the other directors Tatum will soon be working
with - Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers - yet they’re still riding their Matrix
high, having yet to direct any films subsequently to replenish the well of their reputation.
Speed Racer only has it cult fans - including me! - while Cloud Atlas has an even smaller
group of cult fans. In fact, it would seem the Wachowskis’ fan base grows smaller with
each film. They’ve had a little more success as producers, at least rep-wise, with V for
Vendetta and Ninja Assassin. And to be honest, the Wachowskis have earned a tremendous amount
of goodwill from fans for how wonderfully and respectfully they handled Lana’s gender
transition both personally and professionally, with Lana giving an incredibly compelling
- and entertaining - speech in 2012 when she received the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility
Award. Lana Wachowski is probably the most highly visible transgender, although times
are certainly changing as Orange is the New Black’s Laverne Cox and WikiLeaks provider
Chelsea Manning recently making headlines. But surely the Wachowskis would prefer to
make headlines for their work - positive ones. And distributor Warner Bros is trying to give
them the best possible launch, delaying the release of the film from Summer 2014 to the
less competitive February 2015 - officially though, the delay was to allow for more time
to complete the film’s special effects and prepare a top notch marketing campaign. IMAX
3D will also certainly help Jupiter Ascending’s box office numbers, plus there’s this rumor
that a Batman v Superman trailer will drop with the film - also from Warner Bros, naturally.
Plus hey, Jupiter Ascending also features Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean, Oscar nominee
Eddie Redmayne and Meg! Yet Cloud Atlas was also star-studded - a star-studded flop. So,
will Jupiter Ascending replenish the Wachowski’s fandom, or will they have to rely on their
upcoming Netflix series...?