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[LordOfLore]

Link. Some more in it.

The original X-Men trilogy helped kickstart the modern superhero movie boom—and it gave us iconic takes on characters like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. What that casting might have been though, according to the people behind it, paints a totally bizarre alternate picture.

Speaking in an extensive interview with THR, David Hayter, who wrote the screenplay for the first two X-Men films, discusses some of the totally wild alternate casting choices that might have been:

I was writing it for the comic book characters. I was brought on as they were casting, so I was lucky enough to be there for some of the people who came in like Terence Stamp for Xavier and Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey for Storm. Michael Jackson came in because he wanted to play Professor X. It was amazing. Shaq came in. Viggo Mortensen came in. I really liked Viggo for Wolverine, but it didn’t come together for whatever reason. Angela Bassett was our first choice for Storm, but her agents wanted more money than we had at the time. Same with Rachael Leigh Cook for Rogue.

Angela Bassett for Storm. Michael Jackson for Professor X. Shaq, apparently, wanted to be Bishop, but Hayter eventually cut the character from the script due to his unfamiliarity with the hero. Holy moly, this is crazy.

But can you imagine that first X-Men movie with some of these names floating around instead of what we got? Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine has become iconic at this point, but I want to see the alternate realities where Viggo Mortensen or Dougray Scott—who originally cast as the hero before having to pull out due to suffering severe injuries on the set of Mission Impossible 2—brought Logan to life.

And nowadays we get GoT actors between seasons.

 

[HazySaiyan]

Michael Jackson for Professor X

WAT

 

[chalkitdown1]

LOL @ Rachael Leigh Cook demanding too much money. If only she knew where her career would go from there.

 

[Rentahamster]

I would have liked how Storm Got Her Groove Back.

 

[RipperGrim]

Man what a movie it would have been if MJ was professor X.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Viggo for Wolverine would have been really interesting

 

[BossDarkseid]

This makes me want to actually watch all the movies :/

Then see Logan once my assignments are all in...

 

[Citizen_Insane]

Viggo for Wolverine would have been really interesting

I'd just like to see more of Viggo in general. Feels like he's never in anything.

 

[ReplacementPelican]

This makes me want to actually watch all the movies :/

Then see Logan once my assignments are all in...

Look, nobody is going to pretend the X-Men franchise is great cinema, has some great high and some really, really low lows but if you want to sit down and chew through the movies I'd say they're actually worth it. Skip X-Men Origins: Wolverine (not The Wolverine, that's not awful) and just enjoy them. X2 and DoFP are genuinely good movies. First Class and X1 are good and the others are sort of middling but as a whole thing, they're pretty fun.

-edit-
I took your post as you hadn't seem them before but I realise now that this may be inaccurate.

 

[KingofGourds]

Viggo for Wolverine would have been really interesting

Pretty much the first alternative casting I've heard about that I reckon could have turned out as well as Hughverine.

 

[Twilight Gap]

Michael Jackson wanted to play Spider Man at one point too and he tried to buy Marvel to do it.

 

[DeathyBoy]

Michael Jackson wanted to play Spider Man at one point too and he tried to buy Marvel to do it.

Newspapers would have had a field day.

Michael Jackson's Peter Parker ditches Mary Jane because it's too much responsibility.

 

[lazygecko]

I wonder if Jackson would have done a promo song for the film like they used to do back then.

 

[OG Shaka Zulu]

I am dying here picturing MJ as Professor X.

Angela Basset as Storm woulda been awesome.

 

[old manatee]

Man X-Men used to be so cool before Fox and Columbine. Who wouldn't want to be X-Man.

 

[DeathyBoy]

I wonder if Jackson would have done a promo song for the film like they used to do back then.

Someone should do an MJ version of Hero.

 

[Blade30]

I am dying here picturing MJ as Professor X.

Angela Basset as Storm woulda been awesome.

Yeah much better choice.
If Jackman is really done with Logan and they are recasting Wolverine (for the next movie) then I'd really like to see Tom Hardys version of Wolverine.

 

[Carn82]

I'd just like to see more of Viggo in general. Feels like he's never in anything.

have you seen Captain Fantastic?

 

[DeathyBoy]

Days of Future Past with McAvoy works even better if he's yelling "I don't want yoh suffering, I don't want yo futah" at Michael Jackson

 

[old manatee]

 

[PJV3]

Someone needs to dub Jacksons voice into the movies.

 

[Blackage]

Angela Bassett as Storm would have been some spot on casting.

 

[shira]

Angela Bassett as Storm would have been some spot on casting.

So she could pull off the "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lighting?" line?

 

[Breads]

I will never get over the fact that Solid Snake wrote the xmen movies and the watchmen adaptation.

 

[AndersK]

YOU HAVE MY CLAWS!

Damn. Would've been interesting. Can't see him out-bub'ing Jackman, but very interesting.

 

[Epcott]

We missed out on a superior Storm.

 

[ronaldthump]

I hate dougray scott.

and yeah bassett shoulda been storm

and


HUGH JACKMAN is Logan

 

[faridmon]

LOL @ Rachael Leigh Cook demanding too much money. If only she knew where her career would go from there.

Never heard of her, Googled her and the movies she was in it were all Rom-coms

Why was she demanding high salary again?

 

[DeathyBoy]

Never heard of her, Googled her and the movies she was in it were all Rom-coms

Why was she demanding high salary again?

Higher than they had to offer doesn't mean terribly high.

Biggest names in the final film weren't going to make more than a million at most.

 

[Dusk Soldier]

Never heard of her, Googled her and the movies she was in it were all Rom-coms

Why was she demanding high salary again?

In 90s should would have cost quite a bit. They tried to go as cheap as possible with the cast.

Angela Basset was considered "too expensive" back then, that's why they passed over her for Halle Berry.

 

[Ultima_5]

i always wish we got danzig as wolverine

So she could pull off the "Do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lighting?" line?

i don't understand why people act like that line is so bad

 

[Kuro]

WAT

Come here little mutant boys heeee heeee ~~~

 

[Eggbok]

ANGELA BASSETT WOULD HAVE BEEN STORM, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

If MJ was toad, he would've moonwalked away from the lightning.

 

[TRUE ORDER]

Michael Jackson as Charles?... don't know what to think lol

Angela Basset as Storm would have been interesting to see.

 

[Apt101]

LOL @ Rachael Leigh Cook demanding too much money. If only she knew where her career would go from there.

Hey, the shelf life for actresses is often very short. May as well gouge them while you can.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

Thought this thread was going to be about the early 90s when Richard Donner was in talks to direct an X-Men film.

Man, I remember seeing magazines reporting interest from Alec Baldwin as Cyclops, Mel Gibson as Wolverine, Arnold Schwarzenegger as Colossus... now that was some hype casting.

 

[Mett]

I'm not sure I would have much liked those actors in those roles but its hard to say without having ever seen it. Viggo as Wolverine does sound interesting but after having Hugh Jackman all these years, It's just hard to imagine someone other than him in that role.

 

[TheOfficeMut]

Angela Bassett?

GOD DAMN IT

 

[30yearsofhurt]

I'm still surprised they went with Hugh Jackman considering almost all he'd done was musical theatre productions. He owned it though.

 

[More_Badass]

Viggo as Wolverine would have probably meant LOTR would have turned differently, right?

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Viggo as Wolverine would have probably meant LOTR would have turned differently, right?

Kind of funny, both Hugh and Viggo were last minute replacements for their roles.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Angela Basset as Storm made too much sense. Even as a kid I knew that.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I love Halle Berry but she was terrible as Storm. I want the alternate reality.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

I love Halle Berry but she was terrible as Storm. I want the alternate reality.

I like how she kind of tried an African accent in the first film & totally dumped it by X3.

 

[RipperGrim]

Viggo as Wolverine would have probably meant LOTR would have turned differently, right?

Jackman as Aragorn.

 

[Funky Papa]

Most of those are laughable, but Viggorine sounds really interesting in a What If kind of way and we all know that Angela Basset would have owned the fuck out of Storm. Saying she would have played a fierce Ororo would be an understatement.

 

[Violence Jack]

I remember how they really wanted JCVD to play Gambit back in the 90s.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Never heard of her, Googled her and the movies she was in it were all Rom-coms

Why was she demanding high salary again?

She was a huuuge, late-90s "it" girl.

Basically, her, the cast that would make up Charlie's Angels, and Neve Campbell were hot shit.

 

[Count Dookkake]

I want to be in the alternate universe in which MJ played Xavier and Jar Jar.