In some crushing news out of Hollywood to close out the month of October, it was announced that legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart passed away after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia at the age of 86. For fans of the live-action X-Men franchise and the Star Trek universe, Stewart’s death comes as a shock. Especially given how active the actor was in Hollywood, even set to appear in the probable box-office smash Avengers: Doomsday in December.
Zeroing in on Stewart’s historic run as Professor Charles Xavier in the 20th Century Fox series, and even in his reacquired role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’re likely to find no one can say anything bad about his portrayal. While the 20th Century Fox versions of the franchise have faced scrutiny, Stewart has always been applauded. He left big shoes for the second Xavier portrayer, James McAvoy, to fill.
McAvoy first picked up the mantle of the professor in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, where he played a younger version of the character. The actor continued on in the role across four movies in the franchise, adding his own unique spin on the well-known comic book hero, which was also applauded. So you can imagine the treat moviegoers received witnessing Stewart’s older version of the role on the same screen with McAvoy’s conceptualization in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future.
Having said all of that, just two weeks before Stewart’s death, McAvoy opened up about wanting to again tackle a role made iconic by Stewart.
James McAvoy Pitched Playing a Young Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Photo by Katie Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Two weeks ago, McAvoy joined the Happy Sad Confused podcast with host Josh Horowitz, and shared his ambition to do a limited series about a young Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a project titled Mutiny on the Stargazer. But before Star Trek fans get too excited, it looks like the idea was halted. Speaking on the matter, McAvoy shared:
“I had this whole story of a young Picard that I love. I pitched, it was like a one-off standalone season … when he took over as captain of the Stargazer and what actually happened, and the secret he’s been holding his entire career. I just pitched it to them, talking to them, and they were into it, but we had logistical issues that meant we couldn’t do it.”
No word on whether McAvoy will change his tune in light of the devastating news. If done correctly, the series could actually serve as a type of tribute to the late and GREAT Patrick Stewart.
Related: Patrick Stewart Recently Opened Up about Retirement Before Death
