James McAvoy Pitched A Star Trek Show To Play Young Patrick Stewart Again

Photo via 20th Century Fox Published Oct 15, 2026, 7:53 PM EDT John Orquiola is a TV Editor, Senior Writer, and Interviewer with a special focus on Star Trek. John has over 5,000 published articles at SR, and he has interviewed the biggest names in Star Trek on the red carpet and VIP events, among other beloved shows, movies, and franchises. Sign in to your ScreenRant account James McAvoy reveals he pitched a Star Trek series to play a younger version of Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard. McAvoy and Stewart are forever intertwined for playing Professor Charles Xavier in Fox's X-Men movies. Stewart originated the role of Professor X and appeared in several films before McAvoy was cast as the younger Xavier in 2011's X-Men: First Class. James and Patrick's Xaviers then shared the screen in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. Appearing on Happy Sad Confused, James McAvoy told host Josh Horowitz that he pitched “a whole story of young Picard that I love” about when Jean-Luc was captain of the USS Stargazer. McAvoy clarified that his idea was specifically about "when he took over as captain of the Stargazer and what really happened, and the secret that he’s been holding his entire career.” James pitched “a one-off season,” but it didn't happen due to “logistical issues.” See James McAvoy on Happy Sad Confused below: In Star Trek lore, Jean-Luc Picard was a bridge officer aboard the USS Stargazer years before he was Captain of the USS Enterprise-D. When the Stargazer's captain was killed, Picard took command, and Starfleet later named him the ship's new captain. Picard then lost the Stargazer at the Battle of Maxia and was court-martialed, but he was acquitted before being given command of the Enterprise. Tom Hardy played Picard's younger clone, Shinzon, in 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis. McAvoy is obviously a Star Trek fan steeped in Captain Picard's history. James' idea that there is more to the story of how Picard took command of the Stargazer, and that there is a secret "he's been holding his whole career," is an intriguing take. Picard had a colorful Starfleet career before fans met him in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and relatively little is known about that period of Jean-Luc's life. It's unclear when McAvoy pitched his Picard idea, and whether it was to Alex Kurtzman's Secret Hideout or Paramount+. From 2018 when Star Trek: Picard was announced to 2023, when the three-season series led by Patrick Stewart ended, the IP surrounding Jean-Luc and Star Trek: The Next Generation was tied up, so if James pitched his idea then, it's not surprising that it didn't move forward. James McAvoy was serious when he told Josh Horowitz that “All I really want to do in my career is play young versions of Patrick.” Skydance is currently moving Star Trek away from its 60 years of lore towards a new direction, so McAvoy's young Picard idea may still not fly in the current environment, but James McAvoy playing another iconic Patrick Stewart character is certainly compelling. Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard are streaming on Paramount+ TV Show(s) Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Video Game(s) Star Trek Online, Star Trek: Resurgence, Star Trek: Bridge Crew First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series Cast William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Wil Wheaton, Avery Brooks, Nana Visitor, Rene Auberjonois, Alexander Siddig, Cirroc Lofton, Armin Shimerman, Colm Meaney, Terry Farrell, Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jeri Ryan, Robert Duncan McNeill, Robert Picardo, Ethan Phillips, Garrett Wang, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Scott Bakula, Linda Park, John Billingsley, Anthony Montgomery, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Oyin Oladejo, Emily Coutts, Jess Bush, Christina Chong, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Rebecca Romijn, Michelle Yeoh Created by Gene Roddenberry