Over the nine films in the franchise, the X-Men series has featured a great many of the good and the glamorous in Hollywood – with many of the cast finding their most famous roles in playing the beloved mutants.
The most obvious example is Hugh Jackman, who absolutely has his subsequent acting success to thank for landing the part of Wolverine way back in 2000. However, he wasn’t the first choice. As fans of the franchise might know, Scottish actor Dougray Scott was lined up to play Logan until Tom Cruise personally asked for him to play the villain in Mission: Impossible II. Scott then pulled out of X-Men (not knowing he was missing out on the role of a lifetime) and Jackman stepped in.
But what other actors and actresses were likewise almost cast in X-Men movies? Here, we take a look at 9 stars who were in the running to play X-Men until a mutation of fate forced them out of the role.