Rumours that Giancarlo Esposito is set to play Professor X in an X-Men reboot that is likely happening in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are building.
Fans of the 64-year-old have long been anticipating his debut in the MCU and although speculation about his involvement in an X-Men reboot is currently unsubstantiated, it hasn’t stopped many taking to social media to share their support for him to play Charles Xavier, a role which Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy have played.
One tweet read: "If there's anyone that I would want to replace Patrick Stewart as Professor X, it would definitely be Giancarlo Esposito."
"If rumours are true and Giancarlo Esposito is the new Professor X, I am 1,000,000 percent down," another wrote.
A third added: "I am absolutely ok with Giancarlo Esposito as Professor X. I bet he's gonna love being a good guy for once too. Looking forward to this if the rumours are true. He's an excellent actor."
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Another fan of the comic book series penned: "I REALLY hope that rumour is true, because I'm a massive fan of his. Also, after many years of him being the villain, I'd love for him to be a hero now."
Echoing their sentiments, another shared: "Giancarlo Esposito as Professor X is my new all-time favourite Marvel casting rumour. I desperately wish it was true but I’m sure it’s not."
The Danish-born star has enjoyed an illustrious career in film and TV spanning over four decades.
Most recently, he has starred in The Mandalorian and Amazon Prime's The Boys, but Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans know him as powerful drug kingpin Gus Fring.
Elsewhere, chatter about an X-Men reboot first started last year when The Illuminerdi reported that The Mutants is underway at Marvel Studios, with Marvel CCO Kevin Feige producing.
The project is still clearly very much under wraps, and at the time no plot details, writers, directors or cast members have been revealed.
While the film does have a tentative title, the studio could decide to move away from The Mutants as development continues.
The decision to title the film as The Mutants, rather than refer to the X-Men, could potentially be because the previous name for the superhero team has been considered to not be inclusive.
In 2019, Marvel Studios EVP of Production, Victoria Alonso, said that she felt the X-Men name was outdated considering there are so many female members of the team.
At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, Feige announced that Marvel Studios was working on bringing ‘mutants’ to the MCU, though he did not mention the X-Men.
Alternatively, the title may indicate the film will focus on mutants in general, rather than the X-Men specifically.
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Topics: Film and TV, X-Men
Lisa McLoughlin