Michael Jackson Wanted To Play Professor X In ‘X-Men’ Franchise

Michael Jackson Wanted To Play Professor X In ‘X-Men’ Franchise

The King of Pop Michael Jackson wanted to expand his acting career by taking on the role of Professor Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X in the popular X-Men franchise! Twenty years after the original X-Men film was released, producers of the comic book adaption film starring Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Halle Berry as Storm have revealed that the King of Pop seriously wanted to take on the role Professor X.

Michael Jackson, known for his landmark dance moves and extensive musical catalog, reportedly met with producers including Bryan Singer and Ralph Winter, to pitch the idea of him joining the cast. The Hollywood Reporter says that as part of his presentation to potentially play Professor X, he screened his 1997 short film, “Ghosts,” in which he played a number of characters, including that of a 60-ish mayor of a town who wanted his unnamed character to leave their town after entertaining the children with unique magic tricks.

Still, the producers did not want to take a chance on Michael Jackson. At the time, he was already in the midst of dealing with child molestation allegations that led to his 2005 trial where he was acquitted.

The role of Professor X went to legendary British actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who has appeared in numerous follow-ups to the “X-Men” film, which originally premiered on the big screen July 14, 2000, as well as in the third installment of the Charlie’s Angels film franchise in 2019.