Giancarlo Esposito has opened up about his recent meeting with Marvel Studios. The actor has revealed that he is in touch with the studio and wants to play Charles Xavier/Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But that isn’t the first time that Marvel came across the actor.
In a conversation with Liam Crowley at Fan Expo Boston, the actor revealed that the studio earlier approached him to play a part in a Marvel TV show. The actor wasn’t entirely sure at first but then bleakly remembered that it was Loki Marvel offered him. Esposito, however, passed on the role in hopes of a more prominent role in an MCU movie. In the statement which he didn’t elaborate to reveal full details, Esposito said,
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From the cast we saw in Loki, it seems plausible that Esposito was offered the role of Classic Loki in the show. It’s one role that perfectly fits him. Besides, there is a possibility that the studio discussed Mobius with him, but since that role went to Owen Wilson pretty early in the production, it’s a bit unlikely that’s the case.
I think it was Loki. [I] alluded to passing on this mystery TV role because he wanted to hold out for a film character.
If it was Classic Loki, then Esposito probably passed it for the better as that character meets his demise in the show, leaving no room for a possible future appearance. However, Marvel Studios have previously brought back actors for a second role after their previous characters died in the MCU. Gemma Chan’s Sersi from Eternals and Mahershala Ali’s Eric Brooks from Blade are two mainstream examples of that move.
Esposito is now eyeing something much bigger, the Mutant role of Professor X. With Mutants the tentative Marvel Studios project in the works and the hint dropped at the end of Ms. Marvel, the thought of Espositio bagging the role isn’t that far-fetched.
Is Giancarlo Esposito’s Casting As Professor X Feasible?
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Patrick Stewart earlier portrayed the role of Professor X in the X-Men Series, also sharing the role with James MacAvoy. The actor was surprisingly brought back to portray the role again in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Though this version of Professor X was a variant from an alternate reality, the move implies that the actor could play the role again in the upcoming Mutants project. But, if the studio is eyeing Esposito for the role, we could get an entirely different lineup of actors playing the X-Men in the MCU.
The status of previous X-Men characters at Marvel is still in the brainstorming stage. The studio is figuring out a way to merge these characters into the existing MCU, probably without diving into the origin. Marvel is treating the Fantastic Four similarly to their titular film, which won’t be an origin story.
Esposito is known for playing some iconic antagonist roles, most recently in The Mandalorian and The Boys. Playing Professor X would be a subtle twist in his resume, but it would be intriguing to see his approach to that vital portrayal.
