Actor Giancarlo Esposito, who played Stan Edgar in the Prime Video series The Boys, has joined the cast of Lionsgate’s action thriller feature Karoshi. Esposito garnered popularity for portraying Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Better Call Saul. He also recently portrayed Seth Voelker / Sidewinder in Captain America: Brave New World.

Giancarlo Esposito to star in new Lionsgate movie Karoshi

Esposito has joined Teo Yoo, Cynthia Erivo, Isabel May, and Takehiro Hira in the cast of Karoshi. Chad Stahelski, Alex Young, and Jason Spitz of 87Eleven Entertainment will produce the feature as part of their deal with the studio Lionsgate. Jeff Sneider first reported the news.

The plot of the film has been kept under wraps. However, as per the description, it will be a corporate thriller with a samurai twist. Director Takashi Doscher, who helmed Freida Pinto-led Only, will develop the project from a script he penned. Production is expected to begin in June 2025.

Notably, “Karoshi” is a Japanese word that roughly translates to death due to overwork. It’s unclear what significance, if any, the literal meaning of the movie’s title has in the plot.

For his portrayal of Gus Fring, Esposito received several awards. Some of the other prominent characters that Esposito has portrayed over the years are Buggin’ Out in Do the Right Thing, Moff Gideon in the Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem, and Teddy Knight in MaXXXine.

Meanwhile, German actor Teo Yoo has previously appeared in the musical film Leto (2018), in which he essayed the role of Viktor Tsoi. Cynthia Erivo recently played Elphaba in Wicked (2024). Isabel May has appeared in the Netflix series Alexa & Katie and the Paramount+ series 1883. As for Takehiro Hira, he has played Hiroshi Randa in the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Ishido Kazunari in the FX on Hulu and FX series Shōgun.