Everyone knows Giancarlo Esposito plays a good villain, but he’s set to have a bumper year of TV evil-doing in 2020, with roles in The Boys, The Mandalorian and Better Call Saul. Rising to prominence in Breaking Bad, Esposito will forever be known as the calmly sinister drug kingpin, Gustavo Fring. Under the guise of a chicken restaurant owner, Fring manages a criminal meth amphetamine empire and acts as the chief antagonist to Bryan Cranston’s Walter White throughout the bulk of Breaking Bad, meeting an especially memorable demise in the final season. Fring immediately become one of television’s most iconic villains, and the role propelled Esposito into the mainstream after a long and varied career in TV and film.
It might be unfair to suggest that Esposito has been typecast since his outstanding turn as Gus Fring, but the actor has certainly shown a knack for villainous characters, and producers from all genres are keen to capitalize on Esposito’s talent. Although Breaking Bad opened many doors for Esposito, he would reprise his most famous character in 2017, joining the cast of Breaking Bad’s equally-celebrated spinoff/prequel, Better Call Saul. Less of an outright villain on this occasion, Better Call Saul seasons 3 and 4 explore Fring’s rise to power in the drug industry, providing insight into his super-lab, his connections with Gale and his first interactions with Mike Ehrmantraut.
Better Call Saul took a break in 2019, with the release of El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie proving enough to tide fans over, but the long-awaited season 5 is set to premiere in 2020, centering around Jimmy McGill as he finally embraces his Saul Goodman persona. Giancarlo Esposito is slated to once again feature in Better Call Saul season 5, and the last time viewers saw the “Chicken Man,” he and Gale were admiring their newly-constructed meth lab, leaving plenty of Fring’s history still to explore. Esposito has another major bad guy role lined up for 2020 in The Mandalorian. While Moff Gideon may have joined the Baby Yoda party relatively late, he made a huge impression over the final 2 episodes of season 1, and the closing scene teased much more to come, with Gideon emerging from his crashed TIE fighter, Darksaber proudly in hand. Esposito will surely be a huge antagonist in season 2 of The Mandalorian which has been confirmed for Fall 2020.
More: The Boys Drops An Obscure Breaking Bad Reference
Better Call Saul season 5 premieres February 23rd on Netflix.
The Mandalorian season 2 premieres Fall 2020 on Disney+.
