Lizzy Caplan in Talks to Join Gore Verbinski’s Gambit

Fox’s X-Men universe is on the verge of adding a Masters of Sex star.

Lizzy Caplan is in talks to play the female lead in Gore Verbinski’s Gambit, Variety reports. Details of her role remain under wraps, but if cast, Caplan will appear alongside Channing Tatum, who will play the eponymous superhero.

A mutant with the power to charge objects with kinetic energy, Gambit was abandoned at birth due to his burning red eyes, falling in with the New Orleans Thieves Guild before later joining the X-Men. He’s best known for fighting with energy-charged playing cards and other such projectiles, as well as with a bo staff. Gambit was depicted by Taylor Kitsch in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and has appeared in multiple X-Men animated shows and videogames.

It’s possible that Caplan will play Belladonna Bourdreaux, a love interest of Gambit’s from the Marvel comics—per Collider, Lea Seydoux was at one time attached to play the character, back when Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) had signed on to direct. (Verbinski came onboard in October.) However, it’s possible the script has been entirely rewritten since then, so we’re kept guessing about Caplan’s role for the moment.

Caplan is perhaps best known for her role in beloved 2004 comedy Mean Girls, but she has since showcased her dramatic chops in films like Cloverfield, 127 Hours and Allied. Her performance opposite Michael Sheen in Showtime’s Masters of Sex earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Gambit is set to open on Feb. 14, 2019.