Shocking Revealed: The Surprising Actor Who Almost Played Professor X in X-Men

Michael Jackson, the pop icon, desired to portray the character of Professor X, the mentor of the X-Men, in Fox's first venture in the early 2000s. The production of X-Men holds significant significance in the history of comic book films. It served as a crucial turning point for the industry, which was grappling with the aftermath of the poorly received film Batman & Robin, but had not yet witnessed the release of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man on the silver screen.

Filming itself was a challenging process, with the original choice for Wolverine, Dougray Scott, backing out due to the extended filming of Mission: Impossible II. This paved the way for Hugh Jackman's rise to fame. The script went through various changes, making it almost miraculous that the film was even made.

The making of X-Men also had its peculiar moments, including a well-known pop star pushing to be cast in one of the film's major roles.

Michael Jackson wanted to play Professor X in Fox’s X-Men

The casting of Patrick Stewart as Professor X was not a surprising choice. Fans had been urging for years to see the Star Trek: The Next Generation actor portray Xavier, and he consistently ranked high on fan casting wishlists. However, one unexpected name missing from those lists was the popular figure, Michael Jackson.

Included in the cast were Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart. Remarkably, Michael Jackson, who had actively campaigned for the role of Professor Charles Xavier, was not part of the cast. When Shuler Donner pointed out that Professor X was portrayed as an elderly white man, Jackson confidently retorted, "I can wear makeup." Although not known for his extensive acting career, Jackson had a couple of memorable roles, such as starring in The Wiz in 1978 and the lead role in the 3D show Captain EO at Disney World.

However, during the ‘90s, Jackson made attempts to broaden his acting repertoire. Notably, he approached George Lucas to audition for the part of Jar Jar Binks, only to be advised that his immense popularity might overshadow the essence of the film.

In the 1990s, he made an attempt to portray Spider-Man by purchasing the rights from Stan Lee. This endeavor came close to him fully acquiring Marvel.

However, Jackson did not enter the realm of comic book films in the usual manner. Instead, he made a cameo appearance as a fictionalized version of himself in the movie Men in Black II released in 2002.

After his portrayal in Logan in 2017, Patrick Stewart eventually stepped down from the character of Professor X. However, he did make a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There are also speculations that he will be among the various cameos in Deadpool 3.

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