Patrick Stewart Retiring As Professor X, ‘Logan’ His Last ‘X-Men’ Film
Logan will be Patrick Stewart’s retirement X-Men film, the actor reveals. It’s already known that the upcoming movie is Hugh Jackman’s farewell to his character Wolverine, and now the Professor X that we grew up with is done as well.
“I’m done, too. It’s all over,” Stewart said the night he watched the film together with Jackman and Logan director James Mangold, Entertainment Weekly reports.
“And I was so moved by it, much more moved than I had been the first time of seeing it. Maybe it was the company of these two guys, but the movie ended and — this is an admission — but at one point [Hugh] reached out, and he took my hand in those last few minutes, and I saw him go [mimes wiping a tear from his eye] like this, and then I realized I had just done the same thing.
“Then, the movie ended… and we were going to be taken up on stage, but not until the credits were over. So, we had some time to sit there and, as I sat there I realized there will never be a better, a more perfect, a more sensitive, emotional, and beautiful way of saying au revoir to Charles Xavier than this movie.”
X-Men films are far from over, but Stewart’s departure would either mean that another actor would take his place or that no more of his Professor X will be featured again, paving the way for the much younger Charles Xavier of James McAvoy to shine on his own. The latter is more likely given that X-Men: Days of Future Past has effectively rebooted the series.
However, it seems Professor X’s best friend-turned-nemesis Magneto is not yet retiring. Ian McKellen did not appear in Logan, but he has not yet expressed any intention to leave the franchise. It’s yet unknown if he will still return as the conflicted villain in the X-Men universe.
The real-life best friends Stewart and McKellen first appeared as Charles and Eric in the 2000 film X-Men, where the two clashed as enemies. They went on to reprise their roles several times in the years afterward, and the last time they shared the screen together was in Days of Future Past.
20th Century Fox may yet have a plan for Erik Lansherr in the future installments of the franchise, but Magneto will appear from now on without Patrick behind Professor X. Will the on-screen chemistry of the rivals be the same?
X-Men: First Class featured three of the most iconic characters in the series: Charles Xavier, Erik Lansherr, and Raven, but much younger. The movie showcased the friendship that the three – and other mutants – once had before they turned into Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique.
As they were much younger, they were played by different actors. Revenge-driven Eric was portrayed by Michael Fassbender and Charles’ childhood friend Raven was played by Jennifer Lawrence. Although fans saw a different Professor X and Magneto, the James-Michael duo worked well on-screen and this is what Fox should be able to replicate, should they decide to tap another actor to play an older Charles Xavier.
Will you watch a McKellen portrayal of Magneto with a different Professor X?
Still, it’s not yet confirmed whether Ian will still appear in future X-Men films. Not much has been revealed of the future plans for the franchise, but we do know that a Deadpool 2 is coming out soon.
Gambit with Channing Tatum may also be in the works, as well as the newest installment X-Men: The New Mutants. For now, it’s best to wait for any official announcement from Fox. One thing is for sure, though, Patrick Stewart has said his goodbye to the franchise.
[Featured Image by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]
