James McAvoy, who played Professor X in the X-Men prequel trilogy, is remaining guarded about a possible return to the role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Patrick Stewart’s return as Professor X and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the news that Hugh Jackman is returning as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 has opened the gates to any and all members of the original X-Men franchise’s cast to reprise their roles in Marvel Studios’ upcoming reboot of the property. But McAvoy claims he hasn’t been contacted by Kevin Feige or anyone at the studio about the possibility. Though, truthfully, would he admit if they had?
“I’ve definitely not got the call,” McAvoy tells GQ. “And if I did I would definitely not be telling you.”
Still, McAvoy looks back at his time in the X-Men fondly. “It was one of the most positive experiences I’ve had with a studio,” he says. “I don’t really [see them as just] money gigs. Days of Future Past I think is one of the better films that I’ve been involved in.”
Would James McAvoy return as Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Even if Marvel Studios did reach out to McAvoy, there’s still the possibility that he’d rather not return to the role. ComciBook.com asked him about the possibility last year.
“I’m all about doing good stuff, and when I got asked to play Charles the first time, it was good stuff,” McAvoy said. “It was good writing, and I was excited. If people offer me good writing, I’m always going to be excited, but I do feel like I’ve had a good ending with Charles and I got to explore some really good stuff, particularly in the first two movies that I did for him as a character. So if my time is done, I’m happy with the time that I spent and the time that I was given and if good writing comes in and people want to do stuff with me, I’ll always be open to that, but it’s got to be good.”
“They’re clever people,” he continued, referring to Feige and his team at Marvel Studios. “They’re so good at putting their stuff together. They’ll figure out where to do it, but that might not involve people who’ve done it before. It might be a complete reimagining. And as a fan, I’m down for that as well and I’d be excited to see what happens next. If what happens next involves us, then that could be cool, but I’m not sure what way they’re going to go with it, basically. But as a fan, I’m excited to see whatever way they go.”