Giancarlo Esposito involved in talks to play Professor X in MCU

Though Disney snagged the rights to the X-Men through its acquisition of 21st Century Fox six years ago, the characters have been slowly but surely trickling into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Black Widow's Ursa appears to be the first acknowledgement of mutants in the MCU, though it is up for debate, and Professor X popped up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That being said, he didn't stick around to see the credits.

Moreover, Ms Marvel confirmed that Kamala Khan is a mutant, we spotted Cyclops-themed sneakers in She-Hulk, and Deadpool and Wolverine are banding together for Deadpool 3.

Check out the hilarious reveal from Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman here!

One would say, therefore, that there are a fair few opportunities for new actors to embody the heroes and villains that we know and love from the X-Men. And as it turns out, Better Call Saul's Giancarlo Esposito is extremely interested in playing Professor X, bringing it up in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show aired on 11 January.

"I want to play a good guy," he said, explaining that the majority of his most famous characters have been those with a slightly skewed moral compass. "Charles is smart. He’s good. But I feel as if there may be some mileage with me and Marvel. I know I love what they do. I know I love creativity. So who knows what could happen? Keep putting it out there."

Previously, Esposito shared that there had been conversations between Marvel Studios and himself about a collaboration though things weren't necessarily conclusive. "I've been in the room with them and talked to them... I'm gonna go for something that's a little bit different," he hinted at Texas' TJH Superhero Car Show & Comic Con last summer. I'm sure that there are thousands of fans who would walk over hot coals to see the actor's interpretation of one of the most legendary characters in the X-Men, so we'll cross everything in hope.