We've been hearing rumblings for a while that Jake Schreier's upcoming X-Men reboot will feature Mister Sinister, and it seems Marvel Studios is zeroing in on an actor to play the fan-favourite villain.
According to insider @MyTimeToShineH, Narcos star Wagner Moura is the "top choice" to take on the role in the MCU. Best known for playing drug trafficker Pablo Escobar in the Netflix crime series, he also counts Sergio, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Civil War, and The Secret Agent among his many credits.
Marvel Studios clearly has a "type" in mind for Sinister, as Javier Bardem was previously reported to be in the running. When 20th Century Fox was still in charge of the X-Men, Mad Men star Jon Hamm was expected to make his debut as the villain in The New Mutants. However, in the wake of the Disney/Fox merger, the idea was scrapped, and his post-credits cameo was never shot.
While nothing is confirmed at this stage, it's hard to find fault with Moura potentially playing Mister Sinister. He's quickly becoming an in-demand talent in Hollywood, and seems a fitting choice to bring the Summers-obsessed baddie to the big screen.
Mister Sinister is expected to serve as the X-Men franchise's big bad in the MCU's next Saga, meaning we'll likely see him in more than just one movie. However, we're sure you'll remember reports that the endgame is reportedly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie.
In the comics, Nathaniel Essex is a brilliant but twisted geneticist and supervillain, obsessed with genetic manipulation and the perfect mutant gene, often experimenting on Cyclops and Jean Grey due to his fascination with the Summers bloodline. Created by Chris Claremont and Marc Silvestri, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 in 1987.
Marvel Studios has been sitting on the rights to the X-Men for the better part of six years, but after critical and commercial flops like Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants, putting the characters on ice for a while was a must.
In the meantime, access to Earth-10005 has proved an easy way to add mutants to the Multiverse Saga, in titles like Deadpool & Wolverine and the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
X-Men doesn't have a release date, but is rumoured to begin shooting this year for a 2028 debut.