AceShowbiz -

Michael Jackson was apparently almost attached to Paramount Pictures' then-project in the 1980s. In his new book entitled "Now On The Big Screen: Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who at the Cinema", Charles Norton has claimed that MJ was first in line to headline a never-made feature version of BBC's fan-favorite series "Doctor Who".

The book has additionally alleged that Paramount had already prepared another name in mind if the "Man in the Mirror" hitmaker decided to pass on the offer. Comedy actor Bill Cosby, who at that time was at the height of his fame for "The Cosby Show", was reportedly the studio's second choice for the lead role.

"Doctor Who", which depicts the adventures of a Time Lord, is one of the longest-running and most successful TV shows of all time. In November 2011, "Harry Potter" director David Yates revealed to Daily Variety that he was about to start working on a big-screen version of the series.

"We're looking at writers now. We're going to spend two to three years to get it right," he told the site. "It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena."

However, the series' showrunner, Steven Moffat, later denied Yates' claims, saying that the talk was "all some weird fantasy going on somewhere."

He said to Entertainment Weekly, "There isn't a film. I can assure you definitively that was all nonsense ... I can say that with authority because, as far as the BBC is concerned, I'm the voice of 'Doctor Who'. So if I say it, it's true."