Among the interesting things revealed yesterday at a “Raising Your Tentpole: Producing Motion Picture Franchises” panel, held at the Producers Guild of America’s annual “Produced By…” conference, on the Walt Disney lot, was the agreement amongst the producers assembled, that there was too much of a reliance on 3D.

The feeling among X-Men producers, Lauren Schuler Donner and Ralph Winters, was that there was a genuine lack of enthusiasm by producers to use the process on their movies. According to Donner, she felt that there’s “a little too much 3D right now,” and the consensus was that the process wasn’t worth it, unless it would truly enhance the story, which is the not the case for most of them.

But Winters also revealed some would-have-been casting news for the films; for example, that Michael Jackson had “lobbied for the role of Professor Xavier, a role that, of course, was played by Patrick Stewart.

But even just as bizarre was that Shaquille O’Neal wanted to play a part in the first “X-Men” movie. Winters did not reveal what part Shaq was gunning for, however. Wolverine perhaps? Or did he just want to get close to Halle? Who knows?

I admit, I can’t see that lumbering lummox with that slurring, marble-mouthed, emotionally-dead voice, playing a superhero can you?

No wait! I forgot, he did play a superhero in Steel, remember? Oh wait, then there was the part of a genie in Kazaam remember? Let us reminisce shall we?