'Pretty extraordinary' - Brian Cox gives his predictions on the next James Bond

Virgin Radio

10 Nov 2023, 08:43

Succession star Brian Cox is now well-and-truly embedded in the Bond franchise, but who does he think will become the next 007?

The Logan Roy actor is now at the helm of brand new Bond-inspired reality series 007: Road To A Million, in which pairs of intrepid explorers take on high-octane challenges all in the hopes of winning a life-changing amount of money. 

Brian plays The Controller, who oversees and commands the teams as they go on their adrenaline-pumping adventures across the world, and now he’s fully in the Bond family, the Scottish star has given his two-cents over who might take on the prestigious spy mantle in the franchise’s next era. 

The last Bond, Daniel Craig, has hung up his tuxedo and producers are looking for who the new face of the franchise could be. Craig played 007 in five instalments, starting with Casino Royale in 2006, and ending with No Time to Die in 2021.

Speaking at the 007: Road to a Million premiere, Brian told virginradio.co.uk and other press that it’s “very hard to say” who could be the next Bond, because “everyone has their own view of who the character is.”

He explained: “Now we live in an age of diversity, it's going to be very hard to know who will be the next Bond. They have to think about that very strongly now because we live in a different age. Whoever the next James Bond will be, it will be somebody…pretty extraordinary.”

It sounds as though the team behind Bond is in agreement with Brian, as Barbara Broccoli also told us that we’re “far away” from learning who the next 007 will be as the intense process continues. 

 “We are far away,” Broccoli confirmed to virginradio.co.uk and other press. “When it’s ready, we’ll let you know, it’s a way off.”

The movie boss’ comments come a month after she confirmed they were “reinventing” the brand to “focus on what a 21st-century hero would look like.”

Barbara told The Guardian back in October: “I think these movies reflect the time they are in, and there’s a big, big road ahead reinventing it for the next chapter and we haven’t even begun with that.”

Before then, Broccoli and the Bond team are traversing a new landscape by making the challenge-based series, Road to a Million. 

72 Films and Road to a Million producer David Glover admitted he hopes both loyal fans and newbies to the franchise enjoy the high-octane premise. 

“We took a lot of inspiration from the movies,” he explained. “We often go to the same locations, or we use the same cars. In fact, the more of a Bond fan you are, the more you'll notice in the show, if you look carefully. 

“Hopefully it's a show that works with people that don't know the Bond movies that well. Hopefully it works for both but we're kind of inspired by them.”

007: Road to a Million is available to stream on Prime Video now.