Bryan Cranston still wants to play Mister Sinister in an X-Men film

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The sheer number of comic-book films in development mean that chances are very good that any actor who really wants to take on a superhero/super-villain role will likely get that chance. One actor who has frequently been brought up in regards to comic-book roles is Bryan Cranston, but he hasn't had the chance to play any aside from voicing James Gordon in the animated BATMAN: YEAR ONE film. Cranston is still game to play a comic-book role, particularly a super-villain, and spoke with Screen Geek about what kind of villain he has in mind.

"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," Bryan Cranston said, adding that X-MEN villain Mister Sinister would be a perfect match. It also helps that Mister Sinister hasn't yet been played by an actor on the big-screen.

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.

Bryan Cranston has previously expressed his desire to play Mister Sinister, but it remains to be seen whether he'll ever get the chance. The X-MEN films have come tantalizingly close to revealing the villain on several occasions, as X-MEN: APOCALYPSE's post-credit scene referenced Sinster's Essex Corporation. It had also been rumoured that THE NEW MUTANTS was supposed to serve as Mister Sinister's first onscreen appearance with Jon Hamm reportedly set to play the role. 20th Century Fox ultimately axed the scene, leaving Mister Sinister's fate up in the air.