Movies

Patrick Stewart Hasn't Entirely Closed The Door On Professor X After All

Patrick Stewart Not Retiring from X-Men
By Ethan Anderton/

We've known for awhile that Logan was going to be the last ride for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The reason we've been waiting so long for the movie is because he and director James Mangold wanted to get this one right for themselves and the fans. Thankfully, they succeeded with flying colors.

In fact, Logan is such a sensation that Sir Patrick Stewart was inclined to announce that he was going to follow Hugh Jackman's example by retiring from the X-Men franchise as well. During one screening of the movie, Stewart was so moved that he just couldn't imagine playing Professor X again after a movie like this. The bar was set too high. However, the actor has walked back that statement a bit, and there's still a chance for him to come back to the role under the right circumstances.

Why is Patrick Stewart not retiring from X-Men movies anymore? Find out after the jump.

During a Facebook Live event hosted by MTV's Josh Horowitz, the question came up as to whether or not Patrick Stewart was truly done with X-Men, and that's when he walked back his previous statement a bit:

I would have said yes, but the discussion just now about Deadpool makes me think, 'Well, maybe there is a proper justification for the revival of Charles Xavier.'

The discussion Stewart is referring to happened in the Facebook Live video, but this isn't the first time the actor has addressed the possibility of reprising his role as Professor X in one of Deadpool's adventures. Here's what the actor had to say about that prospect towards the end of last month:

As much as Logan serves as a send-off for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, it would also make a fantastic final turn for Patrick Stewart as Professor X. We don't want to venture into spoiler territory regarding his role in the overall story in Logan, but in order to justify bringing Patrick Stewart back in the role, his participation in Deadpool would have to be an automatic home run for it to be really worth it. And the same can be said for Hugh Jackman too.

The good thing about a return of either Wolverine or Professor X is that Deadpool kind of takes place in its own world. Sure, there are references to the other X-Men movies and characters, but it doesn't really have to adhere to any specific rules or continuity because of how it breaks the fourth wall and serves as comic book satire. Therefore, having Wolverine or Professor X make an appearance could be a fun one-off kind of deal. But again, Logan treats those characters with so much care and respect that it's hard to imagine bringing them back just for some R-rated comedy. We'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.

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