Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan will not appear in X-Men: Apocalypse

Stewart appeared in the first X-Men trilogy and reprised his role in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past

(Geraint Lewis)

Marvel fans have been dealt a devastating blow as it emerged that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan are unlikely to appear in the next X-Men film.

On Larry King Now, Patrick Stewart was asked whether he would be returning to the franchise for X-Men: Apocolypse – due for release in 2016 – to which he revealed that his Professor X and Ian McKellan’s Magento had been written out.

The next film will once again focus on the New Class cast that features James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence, Yahoo News reported.

"I was learning quite a lot more about [the film] last night, and it is going to be looking very much at the earlier lives of all our characters," Stewart continued about director Bryan Singer's forthcoming film.

"And so I don’t think we’ll be making an appearance."

James McAvoy plays Professor X's younger self in the rebooted franchise, while Michael Fassbender portrays the younger Magneto.

Fortunately the non-linear timeline of the films so far means that Stewart and McKellan are not ruled out of an appearance in future productions.