Bryan Cranston in talks to play Professor X in 'X-Men'
28 May 2025

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is reportedly eyeing Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston for the role of Professor Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in its upcoming X-Men reboot.

This news comes amid ongoing speculation about potential actors for key roles such as Magneto.

Denzel Washington has been speculated to be in talks for Magneto, while Cranston is being eyed for Xavier.

Cranston's interest in playing Mister Sinister
Actor's preference

Cranston has previously expressed a desire to play an antagonist who is "a fraction smarter than the protagonist."

He told Comicbookmovie, "I want to play an antagonist a fraction smarter than the protagonist, never dumbed down to give the hero an easy win. That's frustrating and boring to watch."

The actor had also shown interest in playing Mister Sinister, a character he described as "the character I was thinking about."

Cranston's stance on previously portrayed characters
Actor's position

Cranston has also made it clear that he doesn't want to play a character who has already been portrayed in live-action.

He said, "I guess it's a selfish standpoint. I don't want to do a character that has been done several times before."

"I don't want to be compared like 'Well, his Commissioner Gordon was yada yada yada.' ... I don't want to do that. I want to take something that hasn't been done."

Marvel's potential casting decision for 'X-Men'
Future prospects

Only time will tell whether Marvel Studios will be able to convince Cranston to take on the character of Professor X, given his preference for original characters. The studio has not yet approached him for this role.

Meanwhile, fans of the MCU will have to wait until around Avengers: Doomsday's release for any casting announcements.

In the meantime, they can look forward to the original X-Men cast reprising their roles in Doomsday alongside the Avengers against Doctor Doom.