Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is one of the biggest stars in entertainment history, and while he did leave behind a complicated legacy, there is no denying the impact that he had on pop culture. He was a global superstar who transcended music and inspired millions to chase their dreams.
During the 90s, Jackson was interested in making major movies, and at one point, he tried his best to play Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars. This, coincidentally, was not the only time that Jackson wanted to play an iconic character on the big screen.
Let’s take a closer look at Michael Jackson’s attempt ton play Jar Jar Binks.
Jackson Wanted To Play Jar Jar Binks
After everything that he accomplished in music, it’s almost hard to imagine that Michael Jackson wanted to conquer another entertainment medium, but the star had some big screen dreams. Maybe it was because of Prince’s Purple Rain being a colossal success, or maybe it was because it was simply a desire of his. Either way, at one point, Michael Jackson desperately wanted to appear in Star Wars, and he even lobbied to play Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Meance.
According to Ahmad Best, the actor who played Binks, “George introduced me as ‘Jar Jar,’ and I was like, ‘That’s kind of weird.’ I’m having a drink with George, and I said, ‘Why did you introduce me as Jar Jar?’ He said, ‘Well, Michael wanted to do the part but he wanted to do it in prosthetics and makeup like ‘Thriller.'”
For the unfamiliar, Jackson’s music video for “Thriller” was a full-on mini movie that conquered the 80s. This does partially explain why he wanted to be in a major feature, as does his Captain EO ride at Disneyland. Lucas, however, was not interested in Jackson taking things back to the 80s with his use of prosthetics.
Best continued, saying, “My guess is ultimately Michael Jackson would have been bigger than the movie and I don’t think he wanted that.”
In a Reddit AMA, Best said, “Michael Jackson really wanted to do it but George picked me. Marinate on that one. I still am.”
As wild as this would have been, it was not the only time that Michael Jackson expressed interest in a major franchise.
He Was Also Interested In Playing Spider-Man
As wild as it would have been to see the King of Pop in full prosthetics playing Jar Jar Binks, things would have been even crazier in the 90s had Marvel and Jackson reached an agreement to let Jackson make a Spider-Man movie. Yes, Michael Jackson legitimately wanted to play Spider-Man on the big screen.
According to Michael Jackson’s nephew, Taj, “It was [all of] Marvel [that Michael wanted to buy], and I remember that. I remember being with my brothers and him talking about purchasing Marvel. He wanted to do that with Stan Lee. They had been talking and discussing that. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, I think they were shut down from doing that. I don’t know the reasons why but they were adamantly in the process of doing that.”
Stan Lee himself said, “Yes, he wanted to. He felt that would be the only way that he could play Spider-Man.”
Stories like this seem almost impossible to modern fans, and it must have sounded even more bizarre back in the 90s. Just imagine someone like Tekashi 6ix9ine lobbying to play Wolverine or to star on the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi show. As fascinating as all of this is, there was another major role that Jackson actually got to audition for at one point.
Jackson Auditioned To Play Professor X
The superhero craze on the big screen was largely thanks to the success of X-Men, and while putting the cast together for the film, Michael Jackson wound up getting to audition for Professor X. It’s already hard to imagine someone other than Patrick Stewart in that role, let alone a major pop star like Michael Jackson.
It was conformed by writer David Hayter that Michael Jackson did audition for the role. His sister, Janet, had the opportunity to audition for Storm in the same movie, and that role eventually went to Halle Berry. A few other notable names like Mariah Carey, Glenn Danzig, Shaq, and even Rachael Leigh Cook also auditioned for major roles. The final cast wound up being perfect, though we do have to wonder what it would have looked like with a few tweaks here and there.
Michael Jackson would have brought something unique to the table as Jar Jar Binks, but maybe it was best that George Lucas went with another performer.