Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | October 17, 2025
Laurence Fishburne is one of the first actors I recognized as… an actor. I was forced to. Many of my mornings and afternoons as a child were spent watching Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. A young Laurence Fishburne is masterful in that show as the lovable Cowboy Curtis. He left a huge impression on me. Then, because my parents watched whatever they wanted, regardless of whether my brothers and I were around, I saw him as Ike Turner.
What’s Love Got to Do With It? is a fantastic film, make no mistake. Appropriate for a child? Absolutely not. It’s not like my parents forced me to watch it; I just walked into the living room one afternoon, and there was Cowboy Curtis, assaulting a woman. So, my parents intervened, at some point, and told me what the movie was about. They told me that it was the same actor from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and that was the extent of the conversation.
While it likely would have been beneficial to… talk about it more, I did leave that moment with a realization: Laurence Fishburne can do anything (as long as it’s pretend)! I stand by that! The man is one of the most gifted actors I’ve ever seen. He’s cool and caring in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3. I saw him bring forth a wealth of experience and charm as Thurgood Marshall on Broadway. The other night I rewatched Event Horizon, and I’ll be damned if that man didn’t take that crazy s*** as seriously as can be.
I would watch him do whatever he wants, and, apparently, what he wants is to be a friggin X-Man. “I know that they’re talking about the X-Men now,” Fishburne said at the con, presumably with his signature rich timber. “So, at this point, I want one of two things. The first thing would be: what do you think about Laurence Fishburne as Professor X?”
Why the hell not?! We know nothing about what the MCU’s X-Men will look like. If I had to guess, however, it’s that they would go younger across the board. That said, that’s what was done last time. This could be more of a mix, and an older Charles Xavier would work just fine. Feige has mentioned an MCU reboot, so an older character in a leadership position would work. There are options!
Star Wars, though? That’s off the table. Not because Larry isn’t a fan. Quite the contrary! Dude loves it and is happy just being a fan. “I’m watching everything. I’m watching every Star Wars, I’m in the middle of Rebels now, man,” he explained to the crowd. “I’m good on the couch with Star Wars. I don’t need a lightsaber. I don’t — pew pew! — I don’t need it.” Five bucks says his voice somehow got even deeper when he mimicked that blaster.
Let Laurence Fishburne be Professor X. Let him be in whatever franchise he wants. I’ll never say, “No, thank you, I would not like to see Laurence Fishburne in [insert any title].” Those words will never escape my mouth because I have two eyes, a heart, and a soul that recognize a generational talent when they feel them in the universe.
