As I was watching TV last night, I came across something pretty interesting that I did not know & some of you may not know. Did you know that Michael Jackson attempted to purchase Marvel in the late 90’s? That’s not all, do you know the reason why? The answer is sure to irk quite a lot of you…
The reason that the king of pop wanted to purchase marvel was not only because he was a huge comic fan, but the main reason he wanted to purchase Marvel was because he thought he would have a better chance at playing Spider-Man in a film. Yup! True story.
Upon further research, I came across an interview that Stan “the man” Lee did with Moviefone awhile back, where he discusses the situation. Here it is:
“Moviefone: The most interesting bit of almost-casting that I’ve ever heard came from a Producers Guild conference last summer: the “X-Men” producers revealed that Michael Jackson seriously lobbied for the part of Professor X.
Stan Lee: I wasn’t aware that Michael Jackson wanted to be Professor X. I knew Michael Jackson. And with the things he discussed with me, I felt he wanted to be Spider-Man. That was the character that interested him. He never discussed the X-Men with me.
MF: How do you think he would have fared as Spider-Man?
SL: I think he’d have been good. I think he’d have been very good. But I must say that Tobey Maguire was wonderful.
MF: I’m fascinated by the fact that Jackson worked with Stan Lee Media and attempted to buy Marvel, in the 90s.
SL: Yes, he wanted to. He felt that would be the only way that he could play Spider-Man. [Laughs]
MF: What do you think the company would have looked like now if that partnership came to fruition?
SL: I can’t imagine it would have been totally different of course, but maybe not as successful. Michael was not a great businessman.”
I think Stan Lee was being a bit too nice when he answered the question about how MJ would do as Spider-Man. Michael Jackson was an innovator & genius when it came to making music, making videos & choreography. Jackson did have some acting experience but I’m pretty sure that he didn’t have enough to pull off Spidey. Can you imagine how different the Marvel universe would have been if the king of pop was able to purchase Marvel?…I can’t either.
Sources: History Channel, Moviefone