Acclaimed actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Professor Charles Xavier in Fox's original X-Men trilogy, said he spoke with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about returning to the franchise.
In an interview with Digital Spy, Stewart revealed he is not interested in reprising the role. "Here's the problem... If we had not made Logan, then yes, I would probably be ready to get into that wheelchair one more time and be Charles Xavier. But Logan changed all that," he explained. He clarified that the long conversations with Feige happened a few months ago and the discussion included Charles Xavier.
The actor then explained how emotional he and and Hugh Jackman got while watching Logan. He saw it as the end for the character he has played as for years. "We were moved by the story. We were moved by one another. We were moved by the movie. But we also made the decision that we were saying goodbye to our characters as well," he shared. "In that sense, it was not just the deaths of those two men in the franchise, but it was also goodbye to our part in them as well."
Ever since Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, Marvel fans have looked forward to the inclusion of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many wondered if legacy actors from Fox's X-Men films would return in some capacity, and now it seems safe to count Stewart out for the time being.
You can catch Stewart's latest work as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard. The series premieres Jan. 23 on CBS All Access and stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway.