Michael Jackson met with Bryan Singer and a group of filmmakers involved in the X-Men movie in the spring of 1999. Jackson, whom THR points out was wearing sunglasses and refused to shake hands, explained why he should play the Professor Charles Xavier, mentor and leader of the X-Men, in what would become the first great Marvel movie.
Michael Jackson in the 1986 science fiction 3D movie Captain EO. (Credit: Disney)
Jackson, it must be remembered, was no stranger to acting, as he played the Scarecrow in The Wiz in 1978. He also starred in several of his extended music videos, such as “Thriller” and “Bad,” and starred in the musical anthology film of 1988 Moonwalker, as well as George Lucas’ fantasy short film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Captain EO.
X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner recalled saying to Jackson at the X-Men meeting: “I said, ‘Do you know Xavier is an older white man?’ … And Michael said, ‘Oh yeah. You know, I can wear makeup.’ “
Jackson’s “elaborate presentation” to the X-Men team included showing the short film Ghosts, in which Jackson plays a senior white mayor at one point.
THR claims that Jackson was “never seriously considered” for the role, citing an unidentified former film executive who cites the late singer’s child sexual abuse scandal as one reason why: “Michael was already in the center of all your X-Men accusations. ” (It should be noted that THR also delves into the many allegations of sexual misconduct against Bryan Singer in his article.)In the end, Patrick Stewart was cast as Professor X in 2000’s X-Men, a role he continued to play until Logan 2017.
Michael Jackson’s release to play Professor X isn’t the only curious piece of “what could have been” in the history of the X-Men cast. The then-unknown Hugh Jackman replaced Dougray Scott as Wolverine, while Jim Caviezel originally set out to play Cyclops before James Marsden won the role.
