PATRICK STEWART and Ian McKellen will not appear in the next “X-Men” film.

    Speaking on an American chat show, Stewart, 74, told host Larry King, “It is going to be looking very much at the earlier lives of all our characters. And so I don’t think we’ll be making an appearance. Nor Sir Ian McKellen, either.”

    “X-Men: Apocalypse” is due for release in 2016.

    It’s expected to focus on the cast of “X-Men: First Class,” which included James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence.

    Stewart and McKellen have played the roles of Professor X and Magneto in the “X-Men” series since 2000.

    2014’s installment “X-Men: Days of Future Past” featured a time travel plot that meant those original stars could appear alongside their younger counterparts from “X-Men: First Class.”

    The film had a cliffhanger ending, which some have suggested could leave the door open for the veteran actors to appear in future “X-Men” films or one of the upcoming “X-Men’ related films, “Gambit” or “Deadpool.”(SD-Agencies)Patrick