Scottish actor James McAvoy was considered for a role in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009), but wasn’t a great fit, opening the door for him to take on his perfect Star Trek role. Star Trek (2009) brought the franchise back into the mainstream with a blockbuster film that introduced a whole new generation to James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). McAvoy may be most known for portraying Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, the younger version of Patrick Stewart’s character, but he has a long list of impressive film and television credits.
McAvoy recently appeared on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he spoke about his love of Star Trek. McAvoy revealed that he was approached for a role in Abrams’ Star Trek (2009), but ultimately felt he wasn’t the best fit for the part. McAvoy also shared his passion for Star Trek: The Original Series and its subsequent films, but said the stories of Star Trek: The Next Generation captivated him when he got older. Considering McAvoy has already portrayed a younger version of Patrick Stewart, many Trek fans have been clamoring for him to appear as a young Jean-Luc Picard.
After Not Appearing In Star Trek’s 2009 Reboot, James McAvoy Can Still Play A Younger Picard
McAvoy Would Be Perfect As A Young Jean-Luc Picard
Since James McAvoy did not appear in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, he is now free to take on the role of Jean-Luc Picard in a future Star Trek project. While Star Trek: Picard checked in on the former Enterprise-D Captain 30 years after the events of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the earlier adventures of Jean-Luc Picard have never appeared on screen. Prior to taking over command of the Enterprise-D, Picard had been Captain of the USS Stargazer for 22 years, during which time he served with Jack Crusher (Doug Wert) and fought in the Cardassian Wars.
While TNG occasionally offered glimpses into Picard’s past, a future Trek project could explore more of Jean-Luc’s life before the Enterprise. Not only has McAvoy already portrayed a younger version of Patrick Stewart, but both actors also have a background in Shakespeare. McAvoy even portrayed Macbeth in a 2013 production directed by Jamie Lloyd, a role that Stewart took on in a 2010 television film directed by Rupert Goold. McAvoy clearly has the acting chops to portray a young Picard, but time may be running out for the Scottish actor to appear as the Enterprise Captain.
Is James McAvoy Still Young Enough To Play Picard’s Younger Self In Star Trek?
Yes, But Maybe Not For Much Longer
In 2021, James McAvoy joked that he may be getting too old to portray Jean-Luc Picard, but Star Trek is no stranger to casting older actors to play younger parts. Captain Picard was meant to be around 58 years old when he became Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, although Patrick Stewart was only 47 when he took on the role. James McAvoy is currently 45, only two years younger than Stewart was when he began playing the character. Still, McAvoy could pass for several years younger than he is, and Picard was always older than Stewart anyway, so McAvoy’s casting could still work.
Of course, McAvoy will continue to age over the coming years, so a project with him as a convincing younger Picard would have to happen fairly soon. On the other hand, Star Trek often plays around with multiple timelines and alternate universes, so anything is possible. Whether in a Prime Universe prequel or an alternate universe Picard story, James McAvoy would be a great choice to portray a younger Jean-Luc. As an added bonus, McAvoy himself is a Star Trek fan and would likely jump at the chance to portray Picard, especially considering he already turned down a role in Star Trek (2009).