"I've already had a meeting with Marvel," Mustafa told SuperHeroHype.com. "I talked to them and I told them that I was a gracious reader of their comics and that I wanted to be Luke Cage. So we'll see where they take it."

As for why he's got his eye on the role, Mustafa was happy to explain his affinity for the musclebound hero.

"Luke Cage has a lot going on," he said. "He's this man, he's got all these powers and abilities and he can use them to save whatever major city, but instead of doing that he uses them to help Harlem. He wants to fix his neighborhood, and that's what's so admirable to me. Instead of leaving and going someplace bigger, he stays right where he needs to be and tries to do the best that they can."

The footballer-turned-actor is very upfront about his own passion for comics in the interview, stating "at one point in time I had I-don't-know-how-many of those long boxes - I think it was just under ten long boxes. I was well into the teens with the short ones. Then after a while there were shoeboxes full of different comics. I have tons of them."

Movie talk has swirled around Marvel's Luke Cage for years. In 2004 Marvel announced that "Boyz n The Hood" director John Singleton would helm a "Luke Cage" movie, promising a "brutal" movie with an R rating. Singleton hoped that "Transformers" star Tyrese Gibson could play the title role, with then-Marvel executive Avi Arad leaning towards Jamie Foxx. Mustafa, however, has been actively lobbying for the role in the media in various interviews, chalking up his former football career and comics acumen as additional positives.

Isaiah Mustafa rose to fame on the back (literally!) of a horse in his memorable Old Spice commercials dubbed "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like". Mustafa came to Hollywood after working on practice squads for the NFL, and after his quick snap of success with Old Spice he was snapped up by NBC to act in various TV shows, star in the upcoming "Madea's Big Happy Family," and — most recently — secure a part in Jennifer Aniston's upcoming movie "Horrible Bosses".

Who do you think could fit in the shoes of Marvel's Luke Cage? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter!