The Mandalorian star Giancarlo Esposito recently confirmed he's been cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He didn't give much away, but told fans at a convention that "It's a role you won’t predict" and confirmed, "It will be teased and there will be a series afterwards."
The actor has long been a fan-favourite choice to play Professor X or Doctor Doom (among others) and it seems his mystery character is neither of them.
According to Murphy's Multiverse, Esposito will make his MCU debut in 2025's Captain America: Brave New World.
The site reminds us that much of the movie was shot in 2023 before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes halted production. During the downtime, Marvel Studios executives decided The Falcon and The Winter Soldier follow-up needed an overhaul and writer Matthew Orton was enlisted to pen scenes for extensive reshoots.
Esposito's character was added during those rewrites and is described as "an antagonistic agent of chaos" and "a serious thorn in Sam Wilson's side."
In terms of possible TV shows that fit the bill of the "series" mentioned by the actor, Daredevil: Born Again is a possibility. If Esposito has shot a secret role for the revival, it may be as an ally to Mayor Wilson Fisk. Ironheart is another, particularly with rumours of Mephisto making his presence felt there; the literal devil showing up in Captain America: Brave New World would be pretty wild, though.
Unfortunately, we can only speculate about who Esposito might play in the MCU for now.
"The truth of the story is this. about four years ago I met with Louis D’Esposito who [is] in the television unit of Marvel," Esposito previously said of being asked to appear in the MCU. "And they had come to me to play possibly play Loki on the television side. And so I did not do [that part], and there were reasons for it."
"I think I wasn’t the one who was chosen [would] be the honest truth. But I would have maybe liked to do it."
"And then I thought when I wasn’t selected for that, that it would be great if I could be in a Marvel movie, not just a television show because I like films a lot," Esposito said of his hopes to join a big screen MCU project. "I love television, obviously I had a great run in the television world, doing last year was four shows at one time and the year before five shows."
Captain America: Brave New World's cast includes Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Carl Lumbly, Tim Blake Nelson, Shira Haas, Liv Tyler, Xosha Roquemore, and WWE Superstar Seth Rollins.
Julius Onah helms the movie from a screenplay by Malcolm Spellman and Dalan Musson, though the director is believed to have also taken a pass at it. Matthew Orton, meanwhile, has written new scenes for the additional photography which is now taking place in Atlanta, Georgia.
Captain America: Brave New World is set to arrive in theaters on February 14, 2025.