The X-Men franchise has proven more enduring than just about anyone could’ve anticipated when the series first launched back in 2000, but with the Disney/Fox deal on the horizon, it looks like this incarnation of the property is now living on borrowed time, and James McAvoy, for one, seems acceptant that his run as Charles Xavier is most likely in its final days.
Speaking to MTV News, the Glass star remarked that it may be time for the mutant saga to undergo some changes, adding that he thinks Disney is going to try something new with the property.
“I love playing Charles. But you’ve got to write something interesting for you to do as an actor, you can’t just keep doing the same thing again and again and again. So it may be time for somebody else to come in,” McAvoy said. “Marvel and Disney are very smart and they’ve done this excellently. They seem to be on the verge of doing something new with just regards to the X-Men anyway, which is exciting, I’m excited to see that. Can the X-Men fold into the Avengers world? Essentially it’s the Avengers world we’re talking about. I don’t know.”
The actor went on explain that while he’d be open to making the jump to Disney, he’s not currently holding his breath on the possibility.
“Do we come back? I don’t know. We’re all out of contract, so we don’t have to,” McAvoy said. “And I don’t know — they might not ask us to. But if they did and there was something interesting to do, I’m sure we would, and if they don’t, it’s been a good ten years.”
Until the Disney/Fox merger is final, Marvel Studios seems unlikely to tease any particular plans for the X-Men and the rest of their newly acquired characters. But with many fans losing their enthusiasm for the series with 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, the demand is surely out there for a fresh start to the saga, especially if hitting the reset button would allow Disney to introduce these classic characters to the MCU.
As it stands, McAvoy’s take on Charles Xavier still has one more screen outing to go in the form of Dark Phoenix. And while the early test screening reactions suggest that the X-Men saga may go out on a whimper rather than a bang, you can judge for yourself if Simon Kinberg’s flick serves as a worthy finale when the film hits theaters on June 7th, 2019.
