X-MEN: Janet Jackson Says She Passed On Playing Storm Prior To Halle Berry Landing The Role

Janet Jackson as Storm? It might well have happened if it wasn't for a busy touring schedule.

Jackson was a guest on the latest episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, and the pair discussed some of the film roles they were forced to pass on over the course of their careers. Barrymore mistakenly thought Jackson was up for a role in The Matrix, but the iconic R&B artist revealed that it was actually Bryan Singer's first X-Men - although she couldn't actually recall the name of the movie!

“It was… this is horrible. I can’t remember the film, but Halle Berry played Storm. I couldn’t because I was just embarking on the Janet tour,” Jackson explained. “But I think that’s what you’re confusing it with. It wasn’t The Matrix.”

Berry went on to play the fan-favorite mutant in X-Men 2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, before reprising the role for X-Men: Days of Future Past many years later. The Academy Award-winner's take on Ororo was not well-received, but one could argue that she did her best with a what she had to work with.

Storm was an underwritten character right from the beginning, and mostly faded into the background, aside from one or two moments when she was allowed to shine by using her incredible weather-manipulating abilities. Berry was also landed with one of the most widely-riddled pieces of dialogue in superhero movie history - the infamous "do you know what happens to a toad when it's struck by lighting?" line from X-Men 1.

Unfortunately, Alexandra Shipp didn't fare much better in X-Men: Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, but the X-Men '97 animated series finally gave Storm the respect she deserves, and we'd be very surprised if Marvel Studios repeated the same mistakes as previous live-action depictions when the character is eventually recast for the MCU reboot.

"They are children of the atom, homo superior, the next link in the chain of evolution. Each was born with a unique genetic mutation, which at puberty manifested itself in extraordinary powers. In a world filled with hate and prejudice, they are feared by those who cannot accept their differences. Led by Xavier the X-Men fight to protect a world that fears them. They are locked in a battle with former colleague and friend, Magneto who believes humans and mutants should never co-exist."