Giancarlo Esposito has been rumored to be in the running for the role of Professor X in Marvel Studios' X-Men film, and while he isn't exactly confirming those rumors, the acclaimed actor appears to be closer to the MCU bosses than fans might expect.
Esposito has established himself as an actor who can seamlessly play a villain, as he has over the past few years with shows like Breaking Bad, The Boys, and The Mandalorian. If he were to get the role he reportedly wants in an X-Men film, this would be a change of pace for him.
During his appearance at TJH Superhero Car Show & Comic Con in San Antonio, Esposito revealed that he had met up with Marvel Studios and had expressed an interest in playing Professor X when the franchise does their own interpretation of the team of mutants. Esposito first praised Marvel Studios for their storytelling abilities, which is why he is so interested in joining the cinematic franchise to begin with. “I’ve been in a room with them and talked with them, and to answer your question, I think what they do is on the lines of that mythological journey that Joe Campbell talked about, who happened to be a friend of George Lucas that George Lucas put into his stories. They do the same thing.” Esposito was asked which mutant he would like to play if he were given the chance, to which he picked the mutant telepath. “Pick one? I’m going to go for something that is a little bit different. I’m going to go and put it out in the universe that it is Professor X."
As of now, there haven't been any concrete plans for doing an X-Men movie in the MCU, but that will probably change in due time because of their reputation alone in comic books, period. The MCU already announced that a Fantastic Four reboot is officially in the works, although not many details have been revealed as far as who has been cast. It's been seven years since a cinematic interpretation of that super quartet hit theaters. It's already been over three years since we last got an X-Men movie. By the time a reboot gets released, it will probably be around a decade from when Dark Phoenix was released.
Casting Esposito as Professor X could potentially be top-notch re-casting as far as superhero portrayals go. Esposito established himself as a villain not just for how diabolical he is, but for how smart he is too. He knows exactly how to manipulate people and how to move his chess pieces around. Professor X would be a welcome change of pace for him, but it wouldn't be too far out of his comfort zone, knowing how Professor X is a genius on top of being one of the most powerful mutants.
Esposito would also be only one piece of the puzzle. Re-casting the iconic mutant team will require hitting home runs on all of them. Having Esposito replace Patrick Stewart is a good start, but how they're going to replace Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine will be a tough challenge to rise to the occasion. Marvel Studios is currently trying everything in its power to keep its audience. Fans will very much look forward to seeing how they execute the X-Men. If it's done right, it could restore previously lost interest, but if they don't, that could signify Marvel Studios' downfall.
The X-Men movies can currently be streamed on Disney Plus.
Source: Countdown City Geeks/TikTok