Brian Cox, successful film actor and star of the HBO series “Succession,” said in a speech at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Saturday that the state of cinema is “in a very bad state,” pointing the finger at blockbuster heavyweights such as Marvel and DC.
“What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,” Cox said when asked about the state of popular film and television. “I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it’s lost its place, partly because of the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all that. And I think it’s actually starting to implode. You kind of lose the plot.”
Cox cited the MCU’s recent blockbuster, “Deadpool and Wolverine,” as an example, saying that while superhero movies “make a lot of money,” from an actor’s perspective, the work becomes “watered down” after so many comic book releases.
“It’s just become a party for certain actors to do these things,” Cox said. “When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a little bit more, Ryan Reynolds … they go down that road and it’s a box office hit. They make a lot of money. You can’t underestimate that.”
In 2003, Cox starred in the hugely successful X-Men sequel X2, back when 20th Century Fox still controlled the band of super mutant misfits. He played William Stryker, a megalomaniac military scientist who ironically gave his adamantium skeleton to Logan and created Wolverine.
Cox joked that he “often” forgets that his character “created” Wolverine in the MCU story. “Deadpool meets… Wolverine, who I created but forgot about. In fact,” Cox added, “there’s always a little bit of me (as Stryker) in those movies and they never pay me any money.”
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report on Cox’s conversation.
