Showbiz411

With the uncertainty surrounding 20th Century Fox’s casting choices for “X Men First Class,” Benjamin Walker has ankled the project.

Walker is negotiating a deal instead to reprise his starring role on Broadway in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.” The emo-pop musical was a smash hit off Broadway with Walker last season.

The whole “X Men”-”Andrew Jackson” seesaw has been going on for some time. Walker had a signed deal to play Beast in “First Class.” But lately, with the success of “Twilight,” studio execs at Fox have  been obsessed with making the “X Men” X boys.

Suddenly, Fox is nervous because they’ve had some failures at the box office. “Knight and Day,” “The A Team,” and “Marmaduke” almost reverses their success with “Avatar.” Getting “X Men: First Class” right is suddenly more important than ever, I am told.

So far, still, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender remain with the film. They’re the “senior” cast, which is just hilarious. Look for a lot of different Taylor Lautners to assume the other roles. Fox, I’m told, even checked Lautner’s availability.

For Walker and the producers of “Andrew Jackson” this is all good news. Walker will undoubtedly get a Tony nomination next spring, and “Andrew Jackson” has the potential to become a “American Idiot” type hit.

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.