Giancarlo Esposito Says It’d Be 'Great' to Play Professor X Opposite Denzel Washington as Magneto in the MCU

Summary

Giancarlo Esposito comments on the idea of playing Professor X in the MCU
X-Men
reboot.
The actor is not keen on the “physical idea of being in a wheelchair” every day, but is willing to “figure something out.”
Esposito is excited about a possible pairing with Denzel Washington as Magneto.

Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito has responded to fan casting suggesting that he should play Professor Xavier in the MCU reboot of The X-Men. Speaking with Amon Warmann, the actor revealed that he had seen the casting suggestion online, and that he does think about it…though there is one thing about the role that poses a problem for him.

“I’ve given it a cursory glance in my brain, and immediately I go ‘Hmm.’ [It would] be great to play Professor X in some other incarnation that just the wheelchair. Right? Because the physical idea of being in a wheelchair every single day does not appeal to me. I just don’t feel that old and I don’t like to sit that much.”

However, despite his reluctance to play the role due to the “physical idea of being in a wheelchair” all the time, Esposita did go on to add that there are potential ways around that.

“But certainly, we could figure something out maybe. Professor X wasn’t always in the wheelchair but that is part of his character development. So, I think about it a little bit but I don’t give it all of my thought because it would have to come to me.”

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Throughout the decades of X-Men comics, Professor X has left the wheelchair behind several times, having both had his spine cured through various ways (including the humanoid race the Shi’ar and Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping magic) as well as being able to leave the chair when entering people’s minds or engaging in psychic battles in the astral plane.

Of course, Professor X’s wheelchair is, and always has been, a crucial part of the character. While Esposito sounds a little unenthusiastic about this element, no doubt, with the right script, he could be convinced to lead The X-Men into the MCU.

Would You Like to See Gincarlo Esposito as Professor X Alongside Denzel Washington as Magneto?

Alongside Giancarlo Esposito as Professor X, another hugely popular fan casting suggestion is Oscar winner and Hollywood icon Denzel Washington as X-Men villain Magneto. And it certainly sounds like Esposito would love to share the screen with his Mo’ Better Blues co-star and do battle with Washington’s supervillain.

“I think it would be great. I think it would be great.”

This is not the first time that Esposito has addressed the idea of playing Xavier, with the actor revealing how he would play the Marvel icon back in 2022.

“I’d play that character with force, grace, and a calm. Someone who controls the chaos, but someone who also has the ability to uplift and inspire.”

At present, it is unknown exactly how The X-Men will join the MCU, but the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine will bring one of the most famous members of the mutant team. Starring Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Deadpool & Wolverine will see the mismatched pair embark on an adventure across the multiverse.

Giancarlo Esposito, meanwhile, has several projects in the pipeline, including the horror movie Abigail, the slasher flick MaXXXine, and the science fiction epic Megalopolis.