Giancarlo Esposito is an award-winning actor whose presence in his roles demands respect. His time as Gus Fring in the Breaking Bad Universe solidified his talent as a magnetic performer. But, while many fans expect to see Esposito reprise his role as Gus Fring in a new Breaking Bad prequel, it appears that the 64-year-old actor might join a different universe in the next few years.
According to Esposito, he recently had a meeting with Marvel Studios where he revealed his interest in playing the role of Charles Xavier, otherwise known as Professor X.
This isn't the first time that a veteran actor would take on the role of the venerable leader of the X-Men and heir to the Xavier estate. Keep in mind that the most iconic actor to take on the role, Patrick Stewart, was already in his late 50s and early 60s when he played the powerful telepath in the live-action X-Men films throughout the 90s. Most recently, Stewart reprised his former role at the age of 81 in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
At 62 with his acting pedigree, Esposito would fit the character quite well, even if it would be a change of pace for him after playing a villain over the past few years.
Of course, just because Esposito wants to play Professor X in a future MCU film, this doesn't mean he'll get the role. Marvel Studios could have something else planned for him. Case in point, the MCU could cast Esposito opposite Professor X as Erik Lehnsherr, otherwise known as Magneto. In any case, landing Esposito in either of the two roles would be top-notch casting for Marvel Studios.
Unfortunately, even if Esposito lands the role he wants in the MCU, don't expect to see the X-Men make their big screen re-appearance anytime soon.
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Marvel Studios has already revealed the entire Phase 5 slate, among others. The closest that the X-Men could make their MCU debut would be as part of Phase 6 on February 14, 2025, after the third Fantastic Four reboot premieres on November 8, 2024. This is assuming that one of the two unannounced films that Marvel is sitting on is X-Men.
In this case, the mutants will be joining the MCU in time for the Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which premieres on May 2, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively. This also suggests that the "other" unannounced film that's coming on July 25, 2025, is Deadpool 3.
At the end of the day, this is all speculation. We could have gotten things mixed up. For all we know, Deadpool will hit theaters on February 14, 2025, with X-Men coming out on July 25, 2025. We can't even guarantee that both films will come out as part of Phase 6 either. It all comes down to what Kevin Feige thinks is best for the MCU.
The good news is that we might hear more about Marvel Studios' plans for the MCU at D23 next month. Gamers can also look forward to the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase on September 9.
