Brian Cox Calls Out Deadpool & Wolverine And He’s Not Wrong

Speaking to an audience at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Succession star said that movies, as an art form, are going in the wrong direction, citing the latest MCU installment, Deadpool & Wolverine, as a great example of cinematic “party time.” He even mentioned Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, stating that the genre keeps spewing the same old, which ends up affecting the quality. Brian Cox added that the only reason why all the big studios keep doing it is, as always, box office performance.

“They are making a lot of money that’ll make everybody happy, but in terms of the work, it becomes diluted afterwards. You’re getting the same old… I mean, I’ve done those kind of projects,” Cox stated, referring to his contribution to 2003’s X2: X-Men United.

Brian Cox also added, “So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff. When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds…but it’s because they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. You can’t knock it.”

For those who aren’t in the know, Brian Cox starred as William Stryker Jr. in 2003’s X2: X-Men United, a military scientist who persuaded Logan to undergo a procedure of adamantium grafting, which fused the apparently indestructible metal with his bones. The movie was a massive commercial and critical success that helped solidify the X-Men franchise and significantly helped establish the continued popularity of the superhero genre.

So, while those who haven’t drunk cannot truly speak of thirst, Brian Cox is speaking as someone who has tasted the very thing he’s now condemning—which also makes him qualified to do so. Admittedly, the actor was never one to shy away from speaking his mind on basically everything related to the industry. He criticized the modernization of James Bond, Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Napoleon, and even his own character on Succession. So, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that the actor had a thing or two to say about the MCU, the DCU, and superhero cinema in general.

With everything said, Brian Cox praised the current state of television, which, according to him, is now doing what cinema used to do, referring to the originality of the current programming. He also referenced many great shows, including Netflix’s Ripley and even Succession. However, he didn’t stop there; Cox also criticized the entire industry, contrasting the filmmaking of his youth with the challenges of the modern casting process young actors have to endure.

Brian Cox began his acting career at the age of 14, becoming an accomplished Shakespearean actor who also entered the sphere of film and television in the early-to-mid 1960s. However, his career breakthrough happened in 1990, when he starred in classics, such as Secret Weapon, Perfect Scoundrels, Hidden Agenda, and The Lost Language of Cranes, for which he was nominated as Best Actor at the 1993 BAFTA TV awards. He’s set to star in the upcoming The Lord of the Ring: The War of the Rohirrim—scheduled to release on December 13, 2024.