One popular fancast has been Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) for Professor X and Denzel Washington (Equalizer) as Magneto. We don’t know what Washington has to say about the casting yet, but Esposito gives his two cents.

Talking to the podcast Fade to Black (via @DiscussingFilm), Esposito was asked about the fancasting, to which he replied it ‘would be great.’ But he also adds that he would want his Professor X to be able to walk around. He comments, “The physical idea of being in a wheelchair every single day does not appeal to me. I just don’t feel that old & I don’t like to sit that much.”

Admittedly, a lot of fans are against casting someone other than a Jewish actor to play Magneto in any adaptation, but some think that, in order to keep the character relevant, they could update his origin so that he experiences his trauma during the Civil Rights movement rather than WWII—comparing Magneto and Charles to the dynamic between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King.

I definitely understand both sides of the argument around the characters’ ethnicity, but personally I do think that they should update these characters to reflect modern times. Otherwise, Magneto would just have to get ridiculously old in the films—or have to be a time traveller.

We’ll just have to wait and see what Marvel does. In the meantime, no release date has been set for the next X-Men movie, but Deadpool & Wolverine comes out July 26.

In a recent fan panel (via Discussing Film), Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito says that he’s met with Marvel for roles like Magneto and Doctor Doom; but the part that he wants to play the most is Professor X.

Giancarlo Esposito reveals he has met with Marvel Studios.

He adds that he would want to play Professor X.

(Source: https://t.co/lwx1hVcIgS) pic.twitter.com/64PbDFrw4q

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 6, 2022

He says that he chose the role of Charles Xavier in order to play a different role this time around. If you’ve noticed, Esposito has been mostly playing the stone-faced villain from Breaking Bad to The Boys. He tried to be a bit more whimsical in The Mandalorian, but who really remembers Moff Gideon besides the reveal that he wields the Darksaber?

If anything, Charles Xavier seems like the perfect role for Esposito, and I think he can play the part of a warm, intellectual mentor. It would be great if we could see him actually try a different character—after playing the same one for so many other properties.

We don’t know when Marvel plans to take on the X-Men, but I’m sure they’re already cooking something up. Besides X is Doctor Strange 2, there’s already the reveal of Kamala Khan being the MCU’s first confirmed mutant. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long before the next reveal.

In the meantime, you can catch Esposito’s Moff Gidon in The Mandalorian now streaming on Disney+.