The Anticipation of Becoming a James Bond Villain: Brian Cox’s Story

The protagonists of ‘Scueession’ (HBO)

Any actor who has grown up with the 007 saga, one of the most enduring that cinema has ever produced, has at some point dreamed of giving life to the ingenious James Bond. Whether you are from the generation of Sean Connery, George Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig, no one has been indifferent to the exciting adventures of this agent of the British intelligence service. Their cars, their villains and even their love interests have also been iconic, generating a stereotype in itself such as that of the Bond girl, which fortunately has evolved over the years until reaching characters such as Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). or the recent Paloma (Ana de Armas) from the latest installment of the saga, No time to die. Any role in a Bond film is a gift from heaven for a self-respecting performer.

Brian Cox must have thought the same thing, the veteran actor known recently for his role as tycoon Logan Roy in the series Succession, but who over the years has appeared in such important films as Braveheart, Troy or The Bourne Affair. And of course, someone of his stature and with a great career behind him was very excited to appear in a James Bond film. However, sometimes things are not as you expect, and that is exactly what has happened to good old Cox.

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“I thought it was the new James Bond movie. So I said ‘finally they’re putting me in one!’ For years I’ve thought I’d love to be a James Bond villain. It would be very interesting. I thought ‘this will be my moment!’ But it wasn’t,” Cox explained in a recent interview, in which he revealed that overnight he had found himself involved in 007: Road to a Million, a reality television show that puts its participants through a series of tests inspired by the famous cases of the character created by Ian Fleming. Cox has played the villain, yes, but of the reality show, the one called The Controller who is in charge of making things difficult for the contestants.

Brian Cox’s Logan Roy in ‘Succession’ could very well be a James Bond villain

Cox’s hopes of playing the new Bond villain, a position that actors of the caliber of Mads Mikkelsen, Christoph Waltz and Javier Bardem have unemployed, were entirely justified, but his ignorance of the direction of the saga was not. I thought ‘ooh, 007 finally’. I should have realized that we don’t have a new James Bond yet. So, why would they already cast the villain?” Cox acknowledged. The truth is that the producers of the saga, headed by Barbara Broccoli, are still looking for the right actor to give life to the iconic character, while the list of candidates is growing with each passing day: Henry Cavill, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Idris Elba , Regé-Jean Page, Richard Madden… and in recent months even Jacob Elordi. Like Brian Cox, everyone wants to be in a James Bond movie.

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“Daniel (Craig) gave us the ability to exploit the emotional life of the character… and the world was ready for it. I think these films reflect the time they are in. There is a long way to go to reinvent the next chapter and we haven’t even started with that,” commented Broccoli, who also has to find the right director for this new installment. Perhaps the paths of Christopher Nolan and the 007 saga are doomed to be understood after all.

2023-11-13 07:29:39
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