Giancarlo Esposito joins ‘Captain America 4’

Weeks after Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito announced he would be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe “sooner than you think.” Variety can confirm that he will appear in “Captain America: Brave New World,” which hits theaters next year.

Esposito revealed that he had been cast in a Marvel project during a panel at CCXP in Brazil earlier this month. There, he squashed fan speculation that he would play Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s highly anticipated version of “X-Men.”

“There’s something about being original. We’ve seen different versions of Professor X,” Esposito told the crowd. “Wouldn’t you like to see me play a character in a Marvel movie that is original, new and fresh? So mark my words: it will happen sooner than you think.

Esposito’s role in Brave New World is kept secret (although he has been portrayed as villainous). The Marvel film continues to film more ahead of its February 14, 2025 theatrical release date.

Anthony Mackie returns as Sam Wilson, now the new Captain America. An action-packed first look debuted during Disney’s CinemaCon presentation in April, where Marvel chief Kevin Feige compared the film to 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” describing it as as “another fast-paced, relatively grounded action thriller”. The footage shows Wilson saving Harrison Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, now President of the United States, from a group of brainwashed assassins.

Directed by Julius Onah, the film also stars Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson and Rosa Salazar. It was originally scheduled for release on July 26, 2024, but was pushed back to Valentine’s Day 2025 in a series of reschedules following the conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Principal photography wrapped before the strike, but Marvel Studios added screenwriter Matthew Orton in December to write additional pages ahead of planned spring reshoots. Presumably, Esposito will play an important role in these scenes.

The acclaimed actor is best known for his fierce performances in dramas like “Breaking Bad” and its prequel series “Better Call Saul,” where his turn as Gus Fring earned him three Emmy nominations. But Esposito is also a veteran of genre entertainment, earning two other Emmy nominations for his work as the Darskaber-wielding antagonist Moff Gideon in the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” He also starred as the infamous former Vought CEO Stan Edgar in “The Boys” and voiced Lex Luther in DC’s Max series “Harley Quinn.”

Esposito will next be seen in A24’s “MaXXXine” and Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” which debuted earlier this month at Cannes. He is replaced by CAA, manager Josh Kesselman and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.