Of the many things to love abut AMC's Breaking Bad, the boost its given to the career to the great Giancarlo Esposito might be my personal favorite, even above Better Call Saul. In the 1990s, Esposito appeared in numerous estimable projects, ranging from Bob Roberts and King of New York to Night on Earth and The Usual Suspects, and also found himself an axiom in the works of Spike Lee, including memorable turns in Malcolm X and Mo' Better Blues. Since then, he's appeared in plenty of remarkable projects, including Michael Mann's Ali and Sherrybaby, and has moved nicely into a regular presence on television, which led to him being cast as Gustavo Fring, arguably the arch-nemesis of Walter White, on Breaking Bad.
Since his excellent work on the AMC crime series, Esposito has taken roles in the Maze Runner franchise, Jodie Foster's Money Monster, James Franco's The Long Home, and Baz Luhrman's upcoming Netflix series The Get Down. And now, as THR reports, he's adding his name to one of the most anticipated films currently on the docket, namely Okja, the new monster movie from the masterful Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean helmer behind new classics like The Host, Snowpiercer, and the undervalued Mother. The project has been piling up on cast members, which makes one wonder how Joon-ho will structure the story, which has yet to be detailed beyond the fact that it involves a big monster.
And honestly, with Joon-ho behind the camera and the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, and now Esposito in front, that's all I need to know for now. It's easily the most anticipated film on Netflix's movie docket, with Adam Wingard's hugely promising adaptation of the Japanese series Death Note running a close second in front of Angelina Jolie's next film and whatever the hell Adam Sandler is doing with his SNL friends next year. Esposito certainly isn't the biggest name in the bunch, but he has undeniable presence, which is required in Joon-ho's thoughtful spectacles.
