Brian Cox claims “cinema is in a very bad way”
Succession star Brian Cox has spoken out on the present state of Hollywood and claimed that the epicentre of the American film industry is in a poor shape.
Speaking recently at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Cox said that the blame ought to be laid at the feet of blockbuster studios like Marvel and DC. Cox had originally worked in theatre, but eventually made the transition to film and television, in which he is best known for his performances in productions such as Succession, Adaptation, Braveheart, Troy and Churchill.
Discussing the present condition of Hollywood, Cox explained, “What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do. I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot.”
Cox continued by pointing out the recent success of Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine and how, while it made a lot of money, it showed that there are limited options for actors in Hollywood. Furthermore, he also claimed that the work assumes “diluted” qualities after so many entries of a franchise.
“So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff,” the actor added. “When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds… they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. You can’t knock it.”
At the beginning of the 21st century, Cox had played William Stryker in a Marvel Comics-based movie, 2003’s X2. However, this was largely before the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it today had kicked into full swing with the first Iron Man movie.
Cox’s character was a crazed military scientist responsible for giving Hugh Jackman’s Logan his impenetrable skeleton, thereby creating Wolverine. Still, even though he forgets that Stryker create Wolverine, the irony of Cox’s view of Marvel is not lost on him today.
“Deadpool meets…Wolverine, who I created, but I’ve forgotten,” the Scottish actor added. “Actually, when those films are on, there’s always a bit of me [as Stryker] and they never pay me any money.”
Deadpool and Wolverine has been a hit at the box office, but the truth is that Marvel Studios has been suffering for a few years now, with a series of movies that were utter box office bombs, most notably, last year’s The Marvels.
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