While I have nothing but love for Patrick Stewart, he simply wouldn’t work for a young Professor X. Enter in James McAvoy… according to Variety.
5/28 – Fox has found its young Professor X. James McAvoy will play the character popularized by Patrick Stewart in “X-Men: First Class,” the origins take on the Marvel tale to be directed by Matthew Vaughn. The “Wanted” star will play Charles Xavier as a young man discovering his powers along with Erik Lensherr in “X-Men: First Class.” Before they took the names Professor X and Magneto, the duo were close friends. They worked together with other Mutants to stop a threat to the world, but in the process, a rift opened between them, leading to the war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.
The pic begins production this summer and is slated for release on June 3, 2011. Bryan Singer, who directed the original “X-Men” and its sequel “X2,” conceived the story. He is producing along with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg. McAvoy is repped by UTA and Ruth Young/United Agents.
