Dexter: Resurrection Season 2 is premiering as part of the 2026 TV schedule, and we're finally going to get some details about the prolific and mysterious New York Ripper. Now, pictures of Brian Cox on the show's set have hit the web. With that, the serial killer's motorized wheelchair may factor into information that was previously divulged about him.

Set photos featuring Cox's character were shared to X, and fans can see "Don Framt" making his way down the sidewalk in his chair. Honestly, I was just previously obsessing over Harrison's new love interest just a bit ago. But I'm now all in on these pictures, and what it could mean for the upcoming episodes.

Does The Motorized Wheelchair Factor Into The New York Ripper's Change In Tactics, Or Has He Always Had One?

As revealed by Detective Wallace, whom Dexter put on the trail of Framt at the end of Season 1, the New York Ripper hasn't killed in five years. Despite that, he's continued to harass his victim's families from untraceable numbers, spreading his antagonistic ways across the New York City area. Given the new information, is it possible that the wheelchair plays a factor in this storyline?

Perhaps a medical event that left him unable to kill, and as as a result, he gets his thrills in other ways. It's a plausible theory, though I also think there's reason to believe the New York Ripper has always used a wheelchair.

Back when there were theories about Leon Prater (played by Peter Dinklage) the famed serial killer, theorists pointed to the length of the murder weapon, Prater's height and the fact that every victim was attacked from the gut region. The Prater thesis tracked, but assuming the Ripper was killing from a wheelchair would also fit the logic for why all the attacks were from the gut. In any case, it's an added dimension to the mysterious character, and I can't wait to learn more.

How Will Dexter React To The New York Ripper?

The most exciting part of The New York Ripper having a central role in Dexter: Resurrection is that we'll likely get to see how the lead character reacts to him. Unlike last season's lineup of celebrity killers, Dexter will come face-to-face once again with someone who has spent the bulk of his life as a killer who's evaded capture.

Brian Cox's character reminds me of The Trinity Killer, who outwitted Dexter in the end and ultimately killed his wife, Rita. Should Dexter directly confront The New York Ripper and try to take him down, can he be sure that he won't be fooled again and lose someone else who is important to him? I'd hate to see Resurrection kill off Harrison, especially since there's an argument to be made that he should be the main character.

I'm eager to watch the upcoming season of Dexter: Resurrection when it becomes available with a Paramount+ subscription. I'm also ready to see Brian Cox in this role, and wonder if he can net another Emmy win due to this performance.

When it comes to Hollywood, we usually see actors follow the adage that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. You’ll hear one actor praise another, but if they don’t care for somebody, they just keep quiet. At least that used to be the way it worked. If you want to know what Brian Cox thinks of somebody in Hollywood, just ask him.

A new profile in the UK’s The Times of the Scottish actor summarizes many of the actor’s previously stated opinions. They range from everybody from Johnny Depp to Quentin Tarantino, but in it he also adds some new hot takes, including one of the biggest actresses in the world: Margot Robbie.

What Brian Cox Thinks About Johnny Depp And Other Hollywood Stars

Cox wrote a memoir in 2021, and in it, he took aim at a number of other actors. The Times includes several of these quotes, including the fact that he called Johnny Depp “so overblown, so overrated.” Cox nearly appeared alongside Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise as he was offered the role of the Governor, which was ultimately played by Jonathan Pryce.

Cox’s memoir came out during the period when Johnny Depp was more known for being involved in lawsuits than for making movies, so it's perhaps not that big of a shock for another actor to take a shot at him. Certainly, there are many who still don’t hold the actor in high regard following the accusations leveled against him.

Cox's less-than-flattering opinions on others, like Edward Norton, Ian McKellen, and Quentin Tarantino, are also raised. The Tarantino comments are perhaps especially interesting considering Tarantino recently made his own headlines for calling out Paul Dano and other actors that he didn't care for. However, another actor who Cox singled out in this interview is a bit more surprising.

What Brian Cox Said About Margot Robbie And Wuthering Heights

It turns out that the 1939 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights is a particular favorite movie of Brian Cox, so the actor is asked about his opinion on the new film from Emerald Fennell that starred Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. While Cox, at least by the time of the interview, hadn’t seen the new movie, he still had an opinion, saying…

While Cox’s comments aren’t exactly an insult, it’s still somewhat surprising to hear him make such comments. While it may be “wrong” of him to judge, he clearly still has an opinion. And to be fair, he isn’t alone in that opinion. Margot Robbie’s casting in Wuthering Heights was questioned by fans of the original novel who felt she wasn’t the right actress for the part.

Mild SPOILERS are ahead for The Parenting, now streaming on Max.

One of the new movies streaming to definitely check out this weekend is The Parenting – which is an easy sell once you see the cast assembled for the horror comedy. The likes of Brian Cox, Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris and Parker Posey all come together for a hilarious haunting movie at a remote getaway. While I wasn’t expecting Brian Cox being the actor of the bunch to get possessed, what surprised me more was what happened when I interviewed the cast and filmmakers. I got two different answers regarding Cox going nude for the movie, and no, I wasn’t even looking for the answer to that question from the get go.

First off, when I spoke to the director of The Parenting, Craig Johnson, he spoke to nabbing Brian Cox for the movie. In his words:

Especially since he was part of the Succession cast, and the actor has been known to be critical of the Hollywood industry, Johnson admits he really didn’t expect Cox to say yes to his silly movie. But, when he did, it allowed the production to get so many huge names to round out the cast.

During my chat with Dean Norris, famously from Breaking Bad, he shared his wonderful experience working with the 78-year-old, but I wasn’t prepared for him to out Cox for showing his actual butt in the movie. As Norris said:

While I was talking to Norris, The Parenting actor applauded Brian Cox for taking on the role, especially as a kind of foil to his role of Logan Roy in Succession in recent years. The Scottish performer is also a classically trained Shakespearean actor who has won two Laurence Olivier Awards for productions he was part of in the ‘80s.

After the revelation, which occurs in the movie while Cox's character becomes possessed by an entity in their cabin, I followed up with Johnson on the detail and he had something else to say about the scene:

I’m not sure what to do with this range of answers. But honestly, it matters less to me if Brian Cox actually dropped his pants for The Parenting, and more that there’s actually a butt double discrepancy here. Is Dean Norris just messing with us and his new friend Cox? When you’re talking to actors, it can be hard to tell exactly what’s honest and what's a great performance sometimes, but it was certainly believable when he brought it up.

No matter, someone’s butt is in The Parenting, and it’s a funny moment amidst a lot of fun improv throughout the movie. Another cast member also told us about a Friends moment that happened with Lisa Kudrow on set as well.

Brian Cox has never been one to hold his tongue when it comes to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The revered actor’s brutally honest thoughts range from actors he’s worked with to those he hasn’t. Someone Cox has acted alongside throughout his lengthy career is Kevin Spacey, who hasn’t acted as much over the past few years due to various allegations and legal issues. The Succession cast member recently shared his take on Spacey as a man and weighed in on whether he could (and should) be allowed to continue his career.

Years ago, Kevin Spacey and Brian Cox shared the screen in the Disney film Iron Will. Cox recently discussed his former co-star while doing a profile piece for The Hollywood Reporter. When the topic turned to cancel culture and Spacey, Cox described what he believed to be “Kevin’s only difficulty.” He also shared some positive sentiments about the two-time Academy Award winner:

Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017. The first claim came from actor Anthony Rapp, who accused Spacey of making sexual advances at him when he was 14 in 1986. Four other men accused the Working Girl star of sexually assaulting them between 2001 and 2013 and, as a whole, more than a dozen individuals have accused him of sexual-based offenses. Spacey, who denied wrongdoing in all cases, was eventually found not liable in Rapp’s 2022 civil suit, while he was also found not guilty of sexual assault charges in a separate U.K. case in 2023.

Despite his legal wins, the American Beauty star’s career was still impacted, as he was fired from Netflix’s House of Cards and removed from Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World. During his interview with THR, Brian Cox doubled down on his support of the Superman Returns alum. He also explained his rationale when it comes to his colleague being allowed to re-enter Hollywood’s proverbial doors:

In the years since the allegations against Kevin Spacey began to crop up, the star has still continued to work. Among the films he’s starred in are The Man Who Drew God and Control. Kevin Spacey also attempted a comeback at the Cannes Film Festival a few years ago by way of the thriller film Peter Five Eight.

Brian Cox’s comments on the Baby Driver star are something of a departure from the usual way he talks about stars. (His criticisms of Johnny Depp, in particular, can definitely stick with a person.) Nevertheless, it’s clear that he’s all for his colleague receiving another chance, and whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

A truly sweet gift is the joy that results whenever venerated actor Brian Cox uses his rich voice to swear about something. Today, I’m pleasantly reminded of that fact, as the 2024 movie schedule finally marks the realization of the former Succession cast member's dream to be a part of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth Saga. CinemaBlend recently spoke to him about his past desire to join Jackson's live-action films, and Cox delivered a choice F-bomb while recalling his feelings amid those films' production.

Mr. Cox’s dream finally came true when he was tapped to p;au the role of Helm Hammerhand in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. With that production's release on the docket, I was present during Warner Bros.’ press day for director Kenji Kamiyama’s new anime picture, and I chose to dig deeper into Cox's interest in joining the fold. When asked about this wish, and what character he would have liked to have played, Cox told me the following:

As I’d pointed out in our The War of the Rohirrim review, the casting of actors like Brian Cox and Miranda Otto was already a huge advantage for Kamiyama-san’s breathtaking action anime. In the same year that audiences saw Cox’s bespoke Santa for This Christmas deliver heartfelt lessons on life, they're also able to hear the Emmy winner lend his oaken pipes to the loving but stern last king of Rohan.

Considering the fact that Cox always wanted to be in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy of Lord of the Rings movies, his casting in War of the Rohirrim makes even more sense. Though I have to admit, if I was an actor in his position, I’d have felt envious of anyone who’d been asked to be part of that unique undertaking.

I'm sure a number of other performers would agree, and there have been plenty of stories in regard to those who weren't cast. For example, there's the situation regarding how Sam Neill missed out on Lord of the Rings. That being said, I have to remind everyone that the profanity in question wasn't similar to a dismissive insult from Succession's Logan Roy actor.

Rather, it was more of a matter of fact utterance that signaled it was time to move on and make other movies (which turned out to be Super Troopers, The Bourne Identity, and X2: X-Men United) instead. So much like Mr. Neill, Brian Cox followed his professional path accordingly though, if asked about LOTR, he'd have a great story to share with nosy journalists.

It may be too late to cast Brian Cox as a dwarf king in either The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings trilogies, but he’s at least realized his dream through playing royalty in The War of the Rohirrim. (On the other hand, it’s not too late to cast Brian Cox as James Bond villain.) Whatever the case, I'm really hoping Hollywood doesn’t make the mistake of overlooking the hopes and wishes of Cox and his formidable talents moving forward.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is now in theaters and ready for fans to ride in the aid of Rohan at the box office. And, if you feel like taking the full journey in order, you should stream The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings films - which anyone with a Max subscription is able to do.

Fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s famed fantasy universe are going to experience some of its lore in a whole new way when the prequel The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits the 2024 movie calendar. For the first time, anime is being used to expand Middle-earth, as the prequel will dive into a pivotal part of its previously unexplored history. First reactions to the new LOTR film had critics split, with many saying the animation was beautiful but the story was lacking — and long, with its runtime exceeding two hours. Now that they are able to expound on their initial thoughts, let’s see what they have to say.

The story centers around Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) and his daughter Héra (Gaia Wise), who must defend their kingdom from revenge-seeking Dunlendings. It takes place 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which is especially important to know if you want to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order. Grab your completely impractical War of the Rohirrim popcorn bucket and see what the critics have to say.

Fred Topel of UPI calls this a satisfying entry into the LOTR saga, even saying it surpasses the live-action Hobbit series with its exciting action and gorgeous animation. Topel writes:

David Ehrlich of IndieWire, meanwhile, says it was a good idea in theory to combine The Lord of the Rings with a Studio Ghibli homage, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Ehrlich gives the movie a C-, crediting the filmmakers for attempting to do something fresh, even if the result falls short. The critic says:

Emma Stefansky of IGN gives it a “Good” 6 out of 10, while echoing the above assessment in saying the inspired idea behind the project is lacking in execution. The critic is conflicted, though, praising the “pretty good” story but admitting “I don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to watch this one again.” Stefansky continues:

Josh Slater-Williams of GamesRadar gives the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars, saying The War of the Rohirrim is one of the more uninspired examples of an English-language property being given an anime makeover. The story feels like it was written by an algorithm, the critic says, continuing:

Pete Hammond of Deadline says it’s clear in the LOTR: The War of the Rohirrim trailer that the filmmakers want to lure in the Peter Jackson faithful, and they might succeed, despite this being pretty far down on the list of this year’s best animated movies. Hammond continues:

This style of animation is definitely going to give fans a different look at The Lord of the Rings’ Middle-earth, and if you want to be a part of this historic moment for the franchise, you can see LOTR: The War of the Mohirrim in theaters starting Friday, December 13.

Below are minor spoilers for That Christmas, a film that was released as part of the 2024 movie schedule. If you still need to catch up, you can check it out with a Netflix subscription.

Who do you think of when Santa Claus comes to mind? Tim Allen in The Santa Clause? Richard Attenborough on Miracle on 34th Street? Did you ever believe Brian Cox, of all people, could be Santa? Well, I certainly never did – but when I spoke to That Christmas screenwriter and executive producer Richard Curtis about why the team chose the iconic Succession actor to voice their Santa Claus, everything made so much more sense.

For those who don't know, That Christmas is a new animated Christmas film released as part of the 2024 Netflix schedule. The film follows the story of a small town called Wellington-on-Sea and the intersecting stories that happen on the night of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and how the folks inevitably come together in their time of need during a major blizzard.

One character in particular is, of course, Santa Claus, the jolly red man himself, who Brian Cox voices. The Succession cast member isn't a newbie to voice-acting, but having the serious dramatic actor take on such a role as Santa was surprising to me. I knew when I spoke to Curtis that I had to ask why Cox was a perfect choice. His first instinct was that Cox was, honestly, the closest to the North Pole they could have! In fact, he's originally from Iceland:

But Curtis continued, saying that Cox was the perfect pick for their version of Santa. They liked Cox's "toughness," as this Santa has to make certain decisions that you wouldn't normally see the legendary Christmas figure make, such as the moment he chooses who to give a stocking to on Christmas between the twins:

Cox has done plenty of voice-acting work over his decades-long career, including stints on The Simpsons, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Doctor Who, Danny Phantom, and more. He's even going to be voicing Helm Hammerhand in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. But his voice work as Santa has been some of my favorites so far.

Now, the way Curtis explained it, I can't picture anyone else but him in that specific Santa role. Listen, there are some really cool movies Santas, but I think Cox's version should be among that revered few because he feels much more real than a lot of portrayals. I have to give Curtis and the whole production team of That Christmas a round of applause for picking him.

There are so many new Christmas movies coming out on Netflix or others that have already been released, like the dominating Hot Frosty or the fun Merry Gentleman, but despite this I'd recommend the Love Actually director's latest, particularly if you're in need of a cute movie night with the kids and want a fun animation that will definitely make you cry at some point, then That Christmas is the one for you. And who knows? You might fall in love with Cox's portrayal of Santa, too.

Brian Cox has never been one to hold back from sharing his feelings on a given topic or person. (In his 2021 book, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, alone, Cox critiqued Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino and more.) One of the entertainment industry’s most seasoned actors, the Scottish thespian has also shared thoughts on the state of the business. He most recently shared his take on how superhero movies are having a somewhat negative impact on the landscape. And, to make his point, he laid out some thoughts on one of the biggest 2024 movie releases – Deadpool & Wolverine.

What Did Brian Cox Say About Deadpool & Wolverine And How It Relates To Modern Hollywood?

At this point, the Emmy-winning Succession star is far from the first actor to have shared less-than-glowing thoughts on comic book flicks. However, considering that Deadpool & Wolverine opened less than a month ago, he is one of the first actors to use it to illustrate a point about the superhero genre’s impact on Hollywood. The esteemed actor appeared at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where he discussed his point of view. He’s of the opinion that cinema is suffering due to the major influx of films about costumed do-gooders:

The 78-year-old actor certainly isn’t wrong in that there’s been a glut of superhero movies (and shows) as of late – and this is coming from someone who’s a fan of the genre. While a variety of characters have been showcased, much to fans’ delight, so many of these films can result in smaller productions being pushed out of the picture. And, in many ways, studios have become overly reliant on such films being used to attract viewers to theaters. Don’t get me wrong, as I love a good Avengers flick. However, I also relish seeing an original concept by way of a small independent movie.

While speaking at the festival (via THR), Brian Cox was diplomatic about the financial aspect of this debate. He referenced the box office behemoth Deadpool & Wolverine when discussing how these kinds of movies are key for “making a lot of money that’ll make everybody happy.” However, he also thinks that “in terms of the work, it becomes diluted afterwards” and, with that, audiences are getting “getting the same old” kind of movie. He also shared some more thoughts on Marvel Studios’ latest threequel:

This is a complex discussion, to say the least, as Marvel Studios, DC Studios and others are indeed helping to keep Hollywood afloat. And what’s even more interesting is that more actors are joining such blockbusters. And that’s something that the Churchill star would know about.

Brian Cox Had Something To Say About His Own Involvement With Superhero Movies

Fans may remember that Brian Cox famously played the role of William Stryker – who conducted experiments on Wolverine – in 2003’s X2. He mentioned that connection while at the film festival as, when he began making his point about D&W, he acknowledged that he’d “done those kind of [projects].” From there, he also shared a small gripe that he has with the subsequent X-Men films that have followed the one he starred in:

Believe it or not, back in 2023, there was a wild D&W rumor regarding countless Marvel cameos and, as part of that, it was alleged that Brian Cox would return as Stryker. That ultimately didn’t pan out to be the case, and I don’t think Cox himself is too bent out of shape about that. Still, he does seem very concerned about the direction that the movie business is going in. Industry analysts, with much more insight than me, can probably better assess whether the landscape might change and provide more equitability. Until then, it feels like comic book-related fare and other massive movies will continue to rule the day.

On that note, you can check out Deadpool & Wolverine, which is now playing in theaters nationwide. You can also stream X2 right now using a Disney+ subscription.

Joaquin Phoenix may be regarded as one of the best actors of our generation, but the Oscar winner doesn’t necessarily impress Brian Cox. The Succession lead cast member recently shared his thoughts on Ridley Scott’s latest movie, Napoleon, and he has a strongly negative opinion of Phoenix’s performance as Napoleon Bonaparte in the biopic.

Brian Cox has been known to not stray away from voicing his contrarian thoughts in the past, such as when he threw shade at Johnny Depp by calling him “overblown.” Cox’s latest words of this sort are directed at Joaquin Phoenix. As the 77-year-old actor said:

While speaking at the UK’s HistFest (via The Standard) over the weekend, Cox didn’t mince his words when it came to talking about Napoleon. As Cox continued:

When Napoleon hit theaters last year, it made $221 million worldwide on a reported production budget of $200 million, making for a rather underwhelming commercial release. The movie received mixed reviews overall by critics and audiences alike, with CinemaBlend’s own Napoleon review giving the film three and a half out of five stars. Critics were split on Napoleon, with reviews being polarized on either celebrating and disliking Phoenix’s take on the historical figure. Elsewhere, Ridley Scott’s movie got a lot of love for its battle sequences, but some hits for its lack of accuracy.

Brian Cox is currently on the West End for Long’s Journey Into Night, is set to star in a family drama called Skelly this May, and be a voice in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim this December. During the conversation with BBC’s Clive Myrie, Cox also commented on other times historical dramas in the past have ignored the history books for the sake of entertainment. As he continued:

While Cox put a lot of blame on Phoenix for Napoleon, he called Mel Gibson’s performance in Braveheart “wonderful.” Of course, art is subjective, and one performance that Cox doesn’t like may really work for someone else. Joaquin Phoenix’s achievements as an actor have memorably been celebrated across his career with four acting nominations at the Academy Awards and his 2020 win for Best Actor in Joker. Phoenix is set to play the role once again for the Joker sequel, heading to theaters this fall.

You can watch Napoleon for yourself with an Apple TV+ subscription and decide whether you agree or disagree with Brian Cox.

Waystar media mogul Logan Roy is one of the scariest characters to ever appear on the small screen, and Succession star Sarah Snook recently revealed that the actor who plays her onscreen father, Brian Cox, can be just as "terrifying" as the man he's portraying. 

During an interview with Mariella Frostrup on Times Radio, the Australian actress — who scored an Emmy win for her performance as Siobhan "Shiv" Roy in the HBO drama's fourth and, sadly, final season — discussed how Brian Cox, who famously played the menacing and manipulative Roy patriarch, was prone to outbursts of "diabetic rage" while filming the acclaimed series. Via Deadline, Snook jokingly said:

The legendary 77-year-old actor has previously admitted to experiencing "hanger" onset, which Kieran Culkin — who plays Logan's son Roman Roy in the series — publicly poked fun at him about during an interview with Esquire. (He added that "there's no actual weight" behind Cox's outbursts.)

Cox, who has type 2 diabetes, responded to his co-star jibes, telling ITV’s This Morning during an interview last year: 

Justine Lupe, who played Connor Roy's bride Willa Ferreyra, echoed her co-stars' sentiments about Cox, telling Times Radio: 

We're not surprised that Cox could be intimidating on set. Even after Logan Roy's death in the game-changing wedding episode in Succession Season 4 (yes, year-old spoiler there, people), the character's powerful presence was felt long after his funeral. It then stretched into that shocking finale episode where the Roy father passed over each of his four children or any of his actually business-minded colleagues to take over Waystar Royco and instead chose to leave the company to his sniveling son-in-law Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen). (Justice for Gerri!) 

He even managed to freak us out by popping up in an Emily in Paris-inspired commercial, which, though comedic, still featured Logan's trademark ruthlessness and thunderous roar. 

Sarah Snook likely won't have as imposing of a co-star in her Succession follow-up, the stop-motion drama Memoir of a Snail, where she stars as "a lonely misfit who collects ornamental snails and has an affinity for romance novels." However, if you want to see Snook deal with Brian Cox's Logan Roy in all of his rageful glory, you can rewatch all four seasons of Succession with a Max subscription. 

Is that "Logan Roy's Not Really Dead" Theory real after all? Last we saw the Succession patriarch (played by Brian Cox), he was very much not alive on one of his many private jets, during the awards-worthy "Connor’s Wedding" episode of the show's fourth and, sadly, final season. But now the fictional media mogul has seemingly resurrected to make a very unexpected cameo in an Emily in Paris-inspired commercial for the French TV festival Series Mania.

Along with fans being totally baffled by Cox showing up in this silly ad, it has inspired other crossover ideas between Succession and other popular series. And honestly, I'd love to see some of these. However, before we get into the crossovers, take a look at this wild ad for yourself:

In the "Emily in Lille" parody, real-life Emily in Paris star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu —who plays ultra-chic chief-marketing boss Sylvie Grateau in the Netflix series — is joined by her plucky employee "Emily Cooper," though here it's not Lily Collins playing the role but Series Mania's director Laurence Herszberg. 

Together, they're trying to conceive a marketing plan for the festival, when "Emily" pitches a teaser "with international guests and celebrities." In the middle of their brainstorming, though, Sylvie gets a FaceTime call...from none other than Logan Roy himself. She is, understandably, confused:

However, after reassuring that he's "never felt better," Cox's Logan reveals that he's taking over Series Mania, before cackling like an evil cartoon character and leaving Sylvie and Co. scrambling to fix the marketing mess. 

Though the parody clip isn't an actual Emily in Paris video—though, per the credits, the festival received approval from both Netflix and series creator Darren Star—it's got Succession fans talking over on social media about the humorous and unlikely crossover between the two series. 

One Twitter user, @timmythick77, expressed their shock at the realization that "Succession and Emily in Paris are in the same universe:"

Another poster, @remyedenmaria, joked that they can't believe the iconic character of Logan Roy was "resurrected" for the comedic clip:

Yet another, @samiwittwer, hoped for more future onscreen interactions between Logan Roy and Sylvie Grateau:

And it got Succession fans thinking beyond the world of Savoir—what about seeing Alan Ruck's Connor Roy ranting about cold butter on The Bear, as @gottafanmyself suggests?

Other social-media users, like @cowbojs on Twitter, are all for seeing Succession's "human grease stain" Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) pop up in an episode or two of Sex and the City: 

While @superlax wants said crossover to eschew the small screen altogether and instead have the Waystar Royco crew do a full Succession takeover of the upcoming Knives Out 3 movie.  

Who knows exactly where Logan Roy will pop up next, but if you want to see him barking orders back in the Waystar world, you can rewatch all four seasons of Succession with a Max subscription. 

And if you want a little French-accented reprieve, you can tune into the first two seasons of Emily Cooper's Parisian adventures with a Netflix subscription while you await Emily in Paris Season 3.

If you are looking for the odd crossover event of Emily and Paris and Succession, just rewatch this hilarious ad.

Doctor Who is a British institution, and while it’s made household names of the actors who take on the mantle of The Doctor, it’s also cast many stars in guest roles. So, with that in mind, we took a journey through the iconic modern era run of the beloved BBC show, and found 32 famous actors who played a minor role in this time lord’s journey. 

Jonathan Bailey

While we know and love Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton on one of Netflix’s best series, Bridgerton, and as Fiyero in the Wicked cast, you might not be aware that he was in Season 8 of Doctor Who in the episode “Time Heist.” He starred alongside Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, playing the hacker Psi. 

Brett Goldstein

Brett Goldstein appeared in the Season 11 episode “The Tsuranga Conundrum '' alongside Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor. During the episode that saw The Doctor and co. stuck on a spaceship while an enemy tries to destroy it, and the Emmy-winning actor played the head nurse Astos. Then, two years later, Goldstein became a household name when he joined the Ted Lasso cast as the beloved grouchy player-turned-coach Roy Kent. 

Carey Mulligan

Before Carey Mulligan starred in movies like Drive, Promising Young Woman and Maestro, she played the young Sally Sparrow in the Season 3 episode “Blink.” Not only is this episode one with some of Doctor Who’s best quotes, but it’s also one of the most iconic stories in the show’s history as David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor took on the Weeping Angels. 

Olivia Colman 

In one of Doctor Who’s best episodes, and Matt Smith’s first as the Eleventh iteration of the time lord, Olivia Colman played “Mother,” a woman who is taken over by Patient Zero in “The Eleventh Hour.” After that, the actress, of course, went on to win an Oscar for The Favourite, and she starred in various other successful projects including the film The Lost Daughter, and the series Broadchurch and The Crown. 

James Corden

Long before James Corden was hosting The Late Late Show, he guest starred in two of Matt Smith’s episodes as his pal and flatmate Craig, most notably in the Season 5 episode “The Lodger.” 

Andrew Garfield

He may be best known as The Amazing Spider-Man and for films like The Social Network and Tick, Tick…Boom! but before all that, Andrew Garfield starred alongside David Tennant in two Doctor Who episodes, “Daleks in Manhattan” and “Evolution of the Daleks.” He played Frank, a boy who gets the Doctor to help get rid of the Daleks. 

Bill Nighy 

In one of the most moving episodes of Doctor Who, “Vincent and The Doctor,” Bill Nighy plays Dr. Black, who works at the museum where Vincent Van Gogh’s self-portrait is held. Before starring in the emotional Matt Smith-led episode all about the aforementioned painter, Nighy was best known for movies like Love, Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean. Since then, he’s been in films including About Time, Emma. and Living, which he got an Oscar nomination for. 

Daniel Kaluuya

You know Daniel Kaluuya? That’s right, the star of Jordan Peele’s movies Get Out and Nope and the man who won an Oscar for Judas and The Black Messiah. Well, before all of that, he played Barclay in Season 4 of Doctor Who in the episode “Planet of the Dead,” where he helped the Tenth Doctor fix an engine after a double-decker bus they were on got stuck in a very sandy place.  

Felicity Jones

Before she entered a galaxy far, far away in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story or received her Oscar nomination for The Theory of Everything, Felicity Jones guest starred on Doctor Who. In 2008, she played Robina Redmond opposite the Tenth Doctor in the episode “The Unicorn and the Wasp,” which was a fun take on Agatha Christie and her mysteries. 

Ian McKellen

While you don’t see Sir Ian McKellen in Doctor Who, his voice is undeniable, as he was the man behind The Great Intelligence in Matt Smith’s 2012 Christmas special  “The Snowmen.” This special appearance was just another feather in this iconic British actor’s cap in the world of genre as he’s best known for playing Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films as well as Magneto in the X-Men movies. 

Maisie Williams

Obviously, we know Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, an integral character in the Game of Thrones cast. However, she also starred in another series that’s considered a British institution when she appeared in four of Peter Capaldi’s Season 9 Doctor Who episodes – “The Girl Who Died,” “The Woman Who Lived,” “Face the Raven'' and “Hell Bent” – as Ashildr (AKA Me) the immortal Viking. 

Michael Gambon 

In Doctor Who’s 2010 Christmas special, “A Christmas Carol,” the Eleventh Doctor finds himself with a very Scrooge-like character named Kazran Sardick, played by the late Michael Gambon. The actor also played the antagonist’s father Elliot Sardick. Of course, before this, he also starred in another tentpole fantasy franchise by playing Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter movies. 

John Hurt 

In the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, John Hurt joined Matt Smith and David Tennant as a regeneration of the time lord named the War Doctor, who lived between the eighth and ninth versions of The Doctor. He was, of course, played by the late great John Hurt, who was known for iconic films like Alien and The Elephant Man. He was a legendary British actor, and he played a pivotal role in the long-running BBC series.

Gemma Chan

From the beloved and star-studded rom-com Crazy Rich Asians to Marvel’s The Eternals, Gemma Chan’s star has grown immensely over the last few years. However, before that, she played geologist Mia Bennett in the 2009 episode “The Waters of Mars” alongside David Tennant’s Doctor. 

Michael Sheen

David Tennant plays the demon to Michael Sheen’s angel in Good Omens, but before they shared the screen together, the Aziraphale actor voiced a House on the show that made his co-star a household name. During Matt Smith’s run as The Doctor during the episode “The Doctor’s Wife,” the actor known for Frost/Nixon and Masters of Sex voiced the evil entity that lived just outside the universe. 

Richard E. Grant

With over 140 credits to his name, including Gosford Park and Hudson Hawk, Richard E. Grant is a legendary British actor. In Doctor Who he played an equally iconic role as the antagonist Dr. Simeon in the Eleventh Doctor-led Christmas special “The Snowmen.” After that, the actor who played a variant of Loki in Marvel’s most timey-wimey show, returned to Dr. Simeon for the Season 7 episode “The Name of the Doctor.” 

Jonathan Groff

As one of the first big actors to guest star in Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the Fifteenth Doctor, Jonathan Groff joined the cast for a Regency-era episode. Before making a brief appearance on Doctor Who, Groff made a name for himself on Broadway in shows including Merrily We Roll Along and Hamilton. He also voiced Kristoff in both Frozen films, and starred in David Fincher’s series Mindhunter. Talk about range. 

Stephen Fry

During the Thirteenth Doctor’s run, Stephen Fry played a role in the Season 12 episode “Spyfall" as C, the head of MI6. An iconic character actor, Fry has over 190 credits to his name, and he is best known for films like Wilde and V for Vendetta. 

Simon Pegg

Long before he was choosing to accept missions with Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible movies and leading Edgar Wright’s Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy – which is Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End – Simon Pegg guest starred on Doctor Who. He played The Editor in Season 1 of the modern era, and went up against Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth generation of the time lord. 

Kylie Minogue

Yes, you read that right, Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, singer of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” and “Chiggy Wiggy,” did star in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who titled “Voyage of the Damned.” During Season 4, she was featured alongside Tennant’s Doctor as Astrid, an alien waitress. 

Helen McCrory

Helen McCrory played Rosanna in the 2010 Doctor Who episode “The Vampires of Venice.” The Peaky Blinders star joined Matt Smith’s Doctor as the leader of the Saturnyns. Along with the two iconic BBC shows, the actress also played Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies and starred in The Count of Monte Cristo. 

Toby Jones

In the episode “Amy’s Choice,” Toby Jones played the Dream Lord. This spooky villain that comes from the darker side of The Eleventh Doctor is another fun character in Jones’ cap, as he also voiced Dobby in the Harry Potter films and played Dr. Zola in the Captain America movies as well as Claudius Templesmith in The Hunger Games. 

Neil Patrick Harris

Joining the episode of the three-part 60th Anniversary special, Neil Patrick Harris played the Toymaker and witnessed the historic bi-generation. The How I Met Your Mother alum faced off against David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor as well as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor. 

Timothy Dalton

Yep, you read that right, James Bond was in Doctor Who too. Timothy Dalton – who played 007 in License to Kill and The Living Daylights – guest starred in the Tenth Doctor’s 2009 episodes “End of Time” parts one and two where he played The Narrator and Lord President Rassilon, the founder and first leader of The Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. 

Brian Cox

In “End of Time,” Brian Cox wasn’t seen on screen with David Tennant, however, you can hear him, because he voiced Elder Ood, who is of an alien race the Doctor works to protect. While you don’t see Cox physically in the episode, you can see him as the patriarch of the Succession cast, Logan Roy, and you can check out movies of his, including Troy and Manhunter. 

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright’s future is as the Black Panther, but prior to playing Shuri in the MCU and starring in other fun projects, she appeared in the Season 9 episode “Face the Raven” with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. In Doctor Who, she played Anahson, an orphan looking for her mother. 

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

While Gugu Mbatha-Raw is best known for travelling through time and space as Ravonna Renslayer in Loki, she also played Tish Jones in four episodes of Doctor Who’s fourth season alongside David Tennant. The actress who played Martha’s sister in these episodes then went on to star in many films, including Belle, and series like The Morning Show. 

Thomas Brodie-Sangster

You likely know Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the kid from Love, Actually or from his work in The Maze Runner movies and The Queen’s Gambit. However, he also starred in a pair of Doctor Who episodes in Season 3 alongside David Tennant as Tim Latimer, a schoolboy from 1913.  

Alan Cumming

The host of The Traitors and star of The Good Wife, Alan Cumming starred as King James I in the Season 11 episode “The Witchfinders.” In the episode featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, this star of stage and screen played the king of a nation that was in the midst of a witch trial when the time lord showed up. 

Iain Glen

Iain Glen played Octavian in the 2010 Doctor Who episodes titled “The Time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone.” While the actor made a name for himself on Game of Thrones as Jorah, Daenerys’ protector, he was trying to protect his team and The Doctor from the Weeping Angels in this set of Matt Smith-led episodes. 

Anthony Head

Anthony Head played Rupert Giles in 123 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Uther Pendragon in 43 episodes of Merlin. He also portrayed the evil headmaster Lassar in one episode of Doctor Who – “School Reunion” – back in its second season alongside David Tennant. 

Jacob Anderson 

You likely remember Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm from Game of Thrones or Louis de Pointe du Lac in the series Interview with a Vampire. In the midst of all that, he joined Season 13 of Doctor Who for a recurring role as Vinder, a pilot and guardian who watches from Observation Outpost Rose and worked with the Thirteenth Doctor across seven episodes. 

As you can see, the list of actors who have made minor appearances on Doctor Who is long and wickedly impressive. From legendary actors like Ian McKellen and Olivia Colman and modern TV staples like Jonathan Bailey and Brett Goldstein, it’s hard to believe that all these folks aided (or tried to stop) The Doctor on their wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey journey through time and space, but they all did!

When it comes to those channels that we all need to pay a little extra for – such as Showtime, Starz, etc. – they all seem to produce some of the absolute best shows. But you want to know which channel I think has made stars even bigger? HBO. 

The channel, which stands for 'Home Box Office,' has produced some of the best TV shows of the last twenty or so years, and with that, several actors and actresses have come and gone and left their mark, earning plenty of awards recognition for their work in the shows. Today, we'll be going over 32 of them. 

Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones)

Of the Game of Thrones cast, Emilia Clarke probably became one of the most-known actresses in the world after her portrayal of Daenerys Targaryen. On the show for the entirety of its eight seasons, Clarke earned plenty of awards recognition and was nominated several times for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the show, including her last nomination in the Lead Actress category. 

Jonathan Groff (Looking)

While Jonathan Groff never earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for his role in the LGBTQ+ show Looking, he did win plenty of other awards for his time on the show. Groff is known to be a triple threat with his acting, singing, and dancing talents. He was even a part of the original Hamilton cast, but his starring role in Looking brought on plenty of recognition.

Zendaya (Euphoria)

The Euphoria cast is filled with talent, but let's be honest – Zendaya is the main star we're all looking towards. Nominated several times for the show for a Primetime Emmy, Euphoria has taken this once Disney Channel star and given her the chance to show off her incredible acting skills, one I'm sure she'll continue to do. 

Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones)

Peter Dinklage has been around in movies and TV for some time, but everyone recognizes him as Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, a performance he did for eight show seasons. Out of the entire cast, Dinklage was the one to be nominated for the most Primetime Emmys – and he won four times. 

Lena Dunham (Girls)

Girls lasted for six seasons and gave plenty of stars shining lights, such as Allison Williams, Adam Driver, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and more, but Lena Dunham was certainly the award-winner of the group. The actress, who also created the comedy for HBO, earned several nominations at the Primetime Emmys, the Golden Globes, and more. 

Tony Hale (Veep)

The Veep cast is highly talented, and Tony Hale is just one of many. And his role as Gary Walsh in Veep is undoubtedly one of his best. Among several other awards that he was nominated for this role, he won the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series twice before the series ended. 

Bill Hader (Barry)

This show – especially Barry Season 4 – was a rollercoaster ride from beginning to end, and Bill Hader's performance has been hailed as one of the best of the show. Hader has been nominated for several Primetime Emmy Awards, and the show has also been nominated for Outstanding Comedy.  

Michael C. Hall (Six Feet Under)

While Michael C. Hall gained a lot of fame for another role he did – the still rewatchable Dexter on Showtime – he gained a lot of fame at first for his role in Six Feet Under, where he played David, one of the brothers who owns a family-funeral home. His role in the show earned him several nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. 

Jeremy Strong (Succession)

Succession’s success is awesome to watch, growing larger and more prominent over the years, and one of the lead actors, Jeremy Strong, has gained a lot of award recognition throughout the series' four seasons. Among Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Drama Series, and more, Strong has also earned nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys. 

Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones)

Cersei Lannister is undoubtedly one of the most-hated villains of Game of Thrones, but I don't think anyone could hate Lena Headey's performance. Throughout the series, the actress earned several nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, among several other awards at the Golden Globes, the Poppy Awards, and more. 

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)

I don't know where it came from, but NoHo Hank became my favorite character in Barry, and I think it's because of Anthony Carrigan's portrayal of him. While Carrigan's character didn't get as much hype at the beginning of Barry, the actor has earned several awards for his role in the show, including Primetime Emmy nominations. 

Diana Rigg (Game Of Thrones)

Olenna Tyrell had to be the best player in Game of Thrones, and I'm pretty sure we all were heartbroken when Diana Rigg passed away. The actress earned several nominations for her role in the show, including Primetime Emmys for her guest appearances. Who could ever forget Olenna? 

Brian Cox (Succession)

I don't think anyone could forget Brian Cox as the patriarch of the Roy family in Succession, Logan Roy, the leading man we were all following for years on end. And, of course, Cox earned plenty of praise for his portrayal in the show, including several Primetime Emmy nominations and wins. 

Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus And Euphoria)

Sydney Sweeney is an exceptional case on this list, as two of her shows on HBO have earned her nominations. She was a part of The White Lotus Season 1 cast, which earned her a Primetime Emmy nod, and for the second season of Euphoria, she also earned a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Both of which were certainly deserved. 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)

As the lead of Veep, I don't think we could get through a list like this without mentioning Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her role as Selina Meyer. The series, which ran from 2012 - 2019, was a massive success for her and earned the actress several nominations and wins for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy and the series for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys. 

James Gandolfini (The Sopranos)

We can only have an HBO list by mentioning James Gandolfini from The Sopranos. As the patriarch of the Soprano family, Tony, James Gandolfini won several awards over the series, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmys three times. The show itself also won Outstanding Drama Series several times. 

Evan Peters (Mare Of Easttown)

Mare of Easttown was a limited series on HBO, and the entirety of the cast was incredibly impressive. Evan Peters has gained fame over the last decade for his roles in movies like X-Men and the anthology series American Horror Story, but his role as Detective Colin Zabel has been hailed as one of his best. His portrayal earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, among other awards. 

Henry Winkler (Barry)

Henry Winkler is a TV legend from Happy Days, but his role in Barry is one of my favorites. And the people who award these actors agreed too, as Winkler earned several awards for his character, Gene Cousineau, including Primetime Emmy wins. 

Kate Winslet (Mare Of Easttown)

Kate Winslet was the star of Mare of Easttown, a limited series on HBO, and out of everyone on the cast, she won the most awards for her time on the show. Some of her accomplishments include Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the Primetime Emmys, TV Film of Miniseries Lead Actress of the Year for the Gold Derby Awards, Best Television Movie or Miniseries Actress for the Critics Choice Awards, and more. 

Edie Falco (The Sopranos)

For the six seasons of the American crime series The Sopranos, my favorite out of the entire cast was Edie Falco. Carmela was possibly the best TV wife out there and was the only person who would keep up with Tony's mess. Falco's portrayal of her went down in history. The actress was nominated for (and won) several Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and more. 

Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos)

Michael Imperioli played Christopher Moltisanti, the protégé of Tony in The Sopranos and someone who seemed to get some of the best storylines in the show. During his time on the series, Imperioli was nominated for his role in several awards, such as  Emmys, Golden Globes, Prism Awards, and more. 

Jake Lacy (The White Lotus Season 1)

The White Lotus cast for Season 1 had some impressive talent, but everyone seriously loved to hate Jake Lacy's character, Shane Patton. But everyone also loves his performance — which earned the actor several nominations across awards shows, including a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. 

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game Of Thrones)

Game of Thrones created several big names for Hollywood, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is another that we saw plenty of in the awards sphere. His character of Jamie Lannister is often credited as having one of the best character arcs in television and earned several award nominations, including the Primetime Emmys. Game of Thrones itself won Outstanding Drama Series several times. 

Sarah Snook (Succession)

The entire Succession cast is filled with talent, but one of my favorites has always been Sarah Snook, who played Shiv in the popular HBO series. Portraying the character for all four seasons, Snook has been nominated for several awards, including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. 

Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus, Season 1)

Daddario has been in the industry for some time, but her role in The White Lotus Season 1 is considered one of her best. The anthology series gave the actress the chance to shine as Rachel, and she was nominated for several awards, including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the Primetime Emmys.  

Matthew McConaughey (True Detective, Season 1)

True Detective is an anthology series from HBO, and many lovers of the show agree that Season 1 had one of the best storylines, led by a captivating performance from Matthew McConaughey. The Academy Award-winning actor earned several awards for his lead performance in the first season, including a Crime Thriller Award, a Critics' Choice Award, a Primetime Emmy nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, and more. 

Issa Rae (Insecure)

Insecure is a comedy-drama from HBO, featuring co-creator Issa Rae in the show's lead role. The series was extremely well-received, and Rae was nominated for several awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series at the Primetime Emmys and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. 

Kit Harrington (Game Of Thrones)

Jon Snow is probably the most known character from Game of Thrones aside from Daenerys and Tyrion – which is not surprising considering the character is getting his own Game of Thrones spinoff series. The actor behind him, Kit Harrington, was nominated for several awards during his time on the show, including the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama for the show's final season. 

Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus, Seasons 1 And 2)

While The White Lotus is an anthology series, Jennifer Coolidge was a part of the main cast for the first two seasons (and only the first two). And her time on the show as Tanya was exceptionally well-received and loved. Among many other awards, Coolidge won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series of Movies. 

Anthony Hopkins (Westworld)

Anthony Hopkins is one of the most critically acclaimed actors of our time, and of course, he has been praised for his TV performances. This time around, it's Westworld, where he earned several nominations from the Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, and more. The series was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmys. 

Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus Season 1)

Murray Bartlett was a part of The White Lotus Season 1 and he was honestly one of the show's funniest characters. For his performance as Armond, Bartlett earned several nominations. The show was also nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for Season 1.

Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)

Jeffrey Wright is a great actor who has been in various movies and TV shows, but one of his most critically acclaimed roles was portraying Bernard Lowe in Westworld, a series he starred in for some time. Wright earned several nominations, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. 

There are so many amazing actors and actresses who have gone on to do incredible things. And truthfully, this makes me want to see all these shows again to see their talent. Is anyone up for a Game of Thrones rewatch?

As we’ve often found ourselves in the run up to the next era of James Bond movies, we’re all on pins and needles waiting to see who’s next cast as 007 himself. And if it was up to 007: Road to a Million star Brian Cox, he’d probably already be cast as the villain for whatever Bond 26 becomes. 

As Prime Video subscription holders will tell you, the freshly-arrived reality series is a bit of a stop gap between films, and Cox’s part as The Controller definitely proves his Bond villain credentials. However, in my recent interview with series producer Ben Allen and series director Julian Jones, there was a mention of a compliment that Ms. Broccoli paid towards this series star that was a far greater feather in the cap. And what’s more, I can’t disagree with what she said. 

Barbara Broccoli’s 007 Compliment Regarding Brian Cox

Sitting down with Allen and Jones on behalf of 007: Road to a Million, we eventually focused on Brian Cox’s claims that he felt he’d be a fantastic 007 villain. While that much was agreed upon, apparently Barbara Broccoli went one step further in her evaluation of the Succession actor at a recent press event; one that Jones was also present for. Here’s what he shared with CinemaBlend: 

Admittedly, I’d never contemplated Brian Cox playing James Bond in the past. That’s not to say I didn’t think he was capable, but as the man himself said, his career seems to have built up a strong resume of anti-heroic leads. So having him as a Bond villain feels like the more natural fit on the surface, especially after watching Cox’s first big TV role since Succession. 

Digging further into Mr. Cox’s past resume, I wanted to see if I could find some of his earlier works from the ‘60s and ‘70s that would help suggest what his Commander Bond would be like. As far as physical appearance goes, you can see a glimpse of Brian from the 1968 TV play “The Year of the Sex Olympics,” an episode from the BBC’s anthology program Theatre 625. Provided at the top of this section, I have to say that Brian Cox certainly had the look for a ‘60s-’70s Bond. 

As far as what his performance could have been like, we turn once again to 007: Road to a Million director Julian Jones. Talking more about the experience of working with the man whose TV resume spans everything from Red Dwarf to Frasier to even Doctor Who, Jones shared this specific knowledge of Brian Cox’s Bond series preferences: 

So not only is there an alternate reality where Brian could have starred as 007, but according to Julian Jones, he would have practically fit into the tone and scope of the Roger Moore James Bond movies. That possibility is a wonderful thing to mull over in one's head, and hopefully will lead to some impressive fan art as a result. 

At the same time though, Julian Jones and series producer Ben Allen have helped make the best audition reel for Brian Cox to have on hand. If he should still want to play the part of an antagonist against His Majesty’s government and world peace, 007: Road to a Million has kind of cemented that prospect. 

How Brian Cox’s Improv Abilities Helped Cement Him As A ‘Bond Villain’

Most modern audiences think of Mr. Cox in the context of his role on the HBO hit drama Succession; and for good reason. Over four seasons, Brian’s character, Logan Roy, terrorized his rivals, and his family, with a gruff and profane nature. Ben Allen certainly knew that image, and as he stated below, it didn’t take long for those Roy vibes to give way to Brian Cox’s 007: Road to a Million villainy:

Just as 1968 Brian Cox looked like he could have very easily swaggered into the role of 007, the Brian of today certainly looks like he’d be able to bring Daniel Craig’s James Bond, or any modern Bond for that matter, to their knees. In fact, hearing of his desire to become such a baddie reminds me of the fact that initially Goldeneye was supposed to star an older variant of the Alec Trevalyan character, with the role being offered to Sir Anthony Hopkins,

Cox’s magnetic energy is infectious, and 007: Road to a Million director Julian Jones had his own tale of what made this performance so special. Much as both men had their stories of envy over 007: Road to a Million stunts they wished they could do, they also had their own tales of the greatness of the X-Men franchise vet and esteemed actor.

As it turns out, a very surprising elimination in the first episode was the catalyst for a moment of spontaneity that inspired a pretty fantastic moment that helped cement The Controller’s character early on. Jones laid out this moment for CinemaBlend, as well as some additional praise for Brian Cox, as follows:  

Brian Cox is probably not in the running to be the next James Bond, unless EON Productions wants to engage in a one-shot adventure with an older 007 settling some past scores. However, his viability as a big bad is still very much on the table, and 007: Road to a Million only proves it in great detail. Of course, his candidacy could be in question depending on whether or not The Controller returns for a potential Season 2.

While Ben Allen and Jeremy Jones aren’t sure about what the future could bring for this series, they’re both obviously excited for what could be. Whether that includes Brian Cox's return as The Controller is also yet to be seen, but that's also something the collaborators are open to revisiting. You can see why for yourself while watching 007: Road to a Million, which is currently streaming in its entirety on Prime Video.

Character actor Johnny Depp has had a long career in film, with a number of truly iconic projects on his long resume. Recently he’s made countless headlines related to his legal battle with Amber Heard, despite the defamation verdict being announced a year ago. While both actors have been attempting to move on professionally, actor Brian Cox threw shade at Depp while explaining why he passed on Pirates of the Caribbean.

Brian Cox is known for voicing his opinion, sometimes jabbing other actors in the process. He critiqued Johnny Depp in his book, and that trend has continued with a new interview. While speaking with The Guardian about his long career, Cox reflected about some major roles he passed on. In addition to being given the chance to play Robert Baratheon in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, he also could have portrayed Jonathan Pryce’s role Governor Weatherby Swann in the Pirates movies. But he seemingly turned it down thanks to the character itself, as well as his opinion on Depp. As the Succession actor put it,

Well, that was honest. Clearly Brian Cox isn’t impressed with Johnny Depp’s talent as an actor, despite how successful many of his movies have been. Specifically he took aim at Depp’s role as Edward Scissorhands, saying that the make-up and costumes did most of the work. 

Cox’s comments definitely show how unimpressed he is with what Depp brings to the screen, particularly in quirky roles like Edward Scissorhands. And it’s partly for this reason that he turned down a supporting role in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Although considering how long Disney’s franchise ran in theaters perhaps this worked out for the best.

As previously mentioned, the role of Wetherby Swann would end up going to Jonathan Pryce (who also had a stint on Game of Thrones). He’d end up playing that role for three different Pirates of the Caribbean movies, in addition to one video game. As for Johnny Depp, he played Captain Jack Sparrow for all five movies. Although there are talks about Disney moving forward with a new Pirates project without Depp. In response, some fans have started a petition to have him return as Jack Sparrow.

The Pirates franchise is streaming now with a Disney+ subscription, while Brian Cox recently celebrated the acclaimed final season of Succession. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

What would you do for the chance to come as close to starring in the James Bond movies as you could without being named Henry Cavill? Would you endure a test of physical and mental agility thrown your way by an acclaimed actor like, say, Brian Cox? If you answered yes to that last question, you probably tried out for Amazon’s new Prime Video reality contest 007: Road to a Million. And if you didn’t, you’ll probably want to after watching that trailer.

I know I certainly want to know where I can sign up for a potential Season 2, thanks to this first look released on the occasion of Global James Bond Day, and in anticipation of the series’ November 10th debut. The concept, revealed in living color through Prime Video’s new reel of footage, is simple in its construction. Nine pairs of contestants have 10 questions to answer, for a potential prize of £1 million, which roughly translates into $1.2 million at the time of this writing.

However, a malevolent presence known as “The Controller” (Brian Cox) is running this game. To get that prize, these teams will have to reenact stunts of James Bond past, on a globetrotting quest to find those queries and answer them correctly. One false move, and your license to cash in has expired. 

How does something like this not appeal to the inner 007 in you all out there? As someone who’s been lucky enough to experience some amazing feats as part of the No Time To Die press event in late 2021, this goes above and beyond even those thrills. With challenges that look to emulate some of the best James Bond action scenes, like the crane chase in Casino Royale, this race to the finish looks like a total 007 delight.

I’ll admit, upon 007: Road to a Million’s initial announcement I wasn’t sure how this show would convince me to watch. That being said, I’m more than pleased to say I’m invested in watching all eight episodes of this reality competition show that feels like it was tailor-made just for me. Which only fuels my desire to, at the very least, be given the chance to undertake a challenge similar to what’s been shown here. 

If I can’t apply for Season 2 outright, due to regulations or lack of PTO time, then I’d like to be give the offer to enjoy just a slice of this explosively delicious-looking pie. For now, I'm going to be watching these antics on the same side of the gun barrel as the rest of you when 007: Road to a Million starts on November 10th.

All eight episodes debut on that day, but if anyone at Amazon is listening, I highly suggest you push the release date back a week. November 17th is a huge day in 007 history, and this would be an awesome opportunity to keep that date going. Want another reason to bank on a Prime Video subscription? How about this: all but two of the 25 James Bond movies are currently available once again for streaming on that platform! Apologies to fans of Goldfinger and Spectre, as those are the two titles currently missing. 

While only two years passed between the release of Deadpool and Deadpool 2, the public is still waiting for Deadpool 3’s arrival. To be fair, there was initially uncertainty if the threeqeul would even move forward following Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox, but by late 2020, it was clear that it would indeed be included on the upcoming Marvel movies slate. Cut to the present day, we know quite a but more about what Deadpool 3 holds in store, but there’s also much about this movie that’s being kept officially secret. Unofficially, however, it’s a different story.

Rumors surrounding superhero movies are nothing new, but there’s been an especially high number of wild claims about Deadpool 3, specifically on the casting front. That’s because like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki, Deadpool 3 looks like it will delve into the Marvel multiverse, which will supposedly open the door to not only reunite with other familiar faces from past Marvel movies, but also include some big-name actors playing notable roles. 

To be clear, none of the names mentioned are remotely close to being a sure thing, and some are less plausible than others. Still, as we wait for Deadpool 3 to resume production, it’s worth going over the wildest casting rumors surrounding the Merc with the Mouth’s third theatrical adventure. Also, we aren’t covering alleged character identities for confirmed members of the Deadpool 3 cast, like who Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfayden are supposedly playing.

Karl Urban And Taron Egerton As Other Versions Of Wolverine

A year ago, it was announced that Hugh Jackman will reprise Wolverine in Deadpool 3, a 180 turn from when he’d once said Logan would be his last outing in the role. It’s since been reported that Jackman will play multiple versions of Wolverine, and a more recent rumor claimed that Ryan Reynolds’ Wade will be traveling through the multiverse to find the “perfect Wolverine.” However, as established by No Way Home and Loki, not all variants look the same, which can range from slightly different facial features to being a member of a different species.

With that in mind, Karl Urban and Taron Egerton are both rumored to be playing alternate versions of Wolverine, with Giant Freakin’ Robot sharing the former’s supposed inclusion and the latter casting coming from The DisInsider. Both actors have been suggested by fans to take over as Wolverine in the MCU, and considering that John Krasinski, a popular fan choice for Mister Fantastic, was selected to play the stretchy superhero in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it wouldn’t be completely out of left field for Deadpool 3 to do something similar with Urban and Egerton.

Lots Of Other Established Fox-Era X-Men Characters

Deadpool 3 won’t be lacking in X-Men characters, because along with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine reprisal, we’ll also reunite with Stefan Kapičić's Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand's Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Shioli Kutsuna's Yukio. But that may just be the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In May 2023, Twitter user @CanWeGetSomeToast claimed that James Marsden, Famke Janssen and Halle Berry were on deck to respectively reprise Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm, making this threequel sound like it would be the mutant version of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Then the following August, the aforementioned DisInsider video shared a bunch of other surprising Marvel cameos in Deadpool 3. As far as the established X-Men and Deadpool characters went, along with Janssen and Berry being mentioned again, the list included Brian Cox as William Striker, Lewis Tan as Shatterstar, Dafne Keen as X-23, Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto. It was clarified that all these appearances remain “unconfirmed,” and frankly, it would be bonkers if all these people showed up. And we’re only on Entry #2 of this list!

Various Fox-Era Fantastic Four Characters

The Fantastic Four didn’t have as much luck under the 20th Century Fox umbrella, but there are fans of 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer out there (2015’s Fantastic Four, not nearly as much). So between that and all the other Fox-era Marvel movie coverage Deadpool 3 is rumored to have, it’s not terribly surprising to hear that this version of Marvel’s First Family might be getting some attention, per scooper DanielRPK (via Deadpool Updates). 

Assuming this is true, it’s unclear if the entire quartet would appear, or if we’d only see a few of the members, such as Chris Evans’ Human Torch and Michael Chiklis’ Thing. Additionally, one of the other characters mentioned in that DisInsider video was Julian McMahon’s Doctor Doom. Whether we would actually see him actually fighting the Fantastic Four again or if Wade Wilson would visit him separately is also unclear.

Ben Affleck As Daredevil

More than a decade before he was selected as the DC Extended Universe’s Batman, Ben Affleck first jumped into the superhero genre by playing the title protagonist of 2003’s Daredevil, a.k.a. Matt Murdock. Well, in June 2023, Twitter user KC Walsh shared that Affleck was seen on the Deadpool 3 set, which understandably kicked off speculation that he’d be reprising Marvel’s Man Without Fear, which Walsh said in a separate tweet was “likely,” though it couldn’t be verified at the time.

Now it’s looking like this particular casting rumor won’t pan out. In September, Walsh tweeted that Affleck was actually on the set to visit his kids and ex-wife Jennifer Garner, not suit back up as Daredevil. Why would he be seeing them there? Well, that brings us to the next person on this list.

Jennifer Garner As Elektra

Shortly after the rumor of Ben Affleck’s Daredevil reprisal started making the rounds, THR shared that Jennifer Garner will reprise Elektra, who first appeared in Daredevil, then led her own spinoff movie in 2005. Garner previously worked with Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy on The Adam Project, but when Levy was asked about if he would indeed re-team with the actress, he simply said that he’d “rather not weigh in on that.”

Of all the casting rumors on this list, this one seems the most likely to be accurate given that it originated from a major Hollywood trade publication. That’s not to say all scoops from such sources end up being true, but more often than not, if a place like THR is reporting it, then it’s likely to be the real deal. Also, one could argue Levy’s reluctance to comment on whether or not Garner is involved rather than just debunk the claim adds authenticity. 

Elizabeth Olsen As Scarlet Witch

When we last saw Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, specifically the Earth-616 version of Wanda Maximoff, she was being buried by the collapsing Mount Wundagore, seemingly sacrificing her life to destroy all the copies of the Darkhold in the multiverse. However, it still hasn’t been officially clarified if Scarlet Witch is dead, and many fans believe we’ll see her again someday. However, evidently a different version of Wanda will appear in Deadpool 3.

That DisInsider video mentioned Wanda as one of the cameos, but a later report from Cosmic Circus alleged that we’ll see the Earth-838 version of the character instead. Deadpool 3 will supposedly return to Earth-838 to explore how that reality has become a dystopian landscape following the events of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This report also mentioned that Ian McKellen will be playing the 838-Magneto, who is Wanda’s father like in the comics, and together they are members of the new Illuminati. This feels like a storyline that should be saved for another Marvel project rather than crammed into Deadpool 3, so it’d probably be worth taking this rumors with a bigger grain of salt.

Various Loki Characters

Loki Season 1 ended with the multiverse being unleashed once Sylvie killed He Who Remains, and while Season 2 will explore the direct consequences of that action, apparently some of its leading characters will find themselves meeting the Merc with the Mouth sometime afterwards. The DisInsider video mentioned that both Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson will respectively reprise Loki and Mobius, with the latter having been previously reported to appear by The Hot Mic in March 2023.

Additionally, it was reported that the Time Variance Authority mascot Miss Minutes will be in Deadpool 3, although the character’s voice actress, Tara Strong, later told Agents of Fandom she hadn’t heard about this. Whether or not Loki and/or Mobius will pop up remains to be seen, but it’s not like it would be entirely unprecedented for them to somehow be drawn into the multiversal shenanigans unfolding in the movie.

Channing Tatum As Gambit

For many years, Channing Tatum was in deck to play Gambit in Fox’s X-Men franchise, taking over the role from X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s Taylor Kitsch. Unfortunately, the Gambit movie was kept getting hit with setbacks and delays, and once Disney acquired Fox in 2019, the project was shelved. And yet, Tatum may get the opportunity to play the card-throwing mutant after all.

The aforementioned @CanWeGetSomeToast claimed the actor will appear in Deadpool 3 wearing a “comic accurate” Gambit suit. If this rumor ends up being accurate, this cameo will be similar to how Nicolas Cage appeared in The Flash as Superman, a reference to the un-produced Superman Lives. In Tatum’s case though, he obviously won’t need to be digitally de-aged.

Taylor Swift As Dazzler

Following speculation that Dazzler would appear in Dark Phoenix, the character did indeed show up, albeit as a minor player brought to life by Halston Sage. But if the word on the proverbial street is true, then Dazzler is about to get some much bigger exposure, as the DisInsider video from earlier mentioned that Taylor Swift will play her in Deadpool 3.

Now to be fair, Swift does have a few acting credits, including The Lorax, Cats and Amsterdam, and obviously casting her to play a popular mutant singer would be a no-brainer. But for now, it’s hard to say if this rumor has any merit, and even if it does end up being true, like most of the other people on this list, she’ll presumably only briefly appear rather than have a major supporting role.

Daniel Radcliffe In A “Secret” Role

Following the conclusion of the main Harry Potter film series in 2011, Daniel Radcliffe has steered clear from big franchise movies, but perhaps Deadpool 3 will end that streak. Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie) alleged that the actor has snagged a “secret” role in the threequel. There’s been no shortage of thoughts on who this mysterious character might be, but one theory seems to be getting more traction.

Like Karl Urban and Taron Egerton, may fans believe Radcliffe is playing a Wolverine variant since he’s another actor who’s been frequently fancast in the role. And just like those two, along with John Krasinski as Mister Fantastic, this would give the Harry Potter actor an opportunity to bring Wolverine to life for a short spell, rather than commit to playing the character for multiple movies. It’s the best of both worlds, but for now, we simply don’t know if Radcliffe will indeed be in Deadpool 3, let alone who he’s playing.

Rest assured that if any of these casting rumors are verified, we’ll let you know. Deadpool 3 is still officially set for May 3, 2024, though that will likely change given how principal photography remains paused.

Even though Succession came to a close when Season 4 ended in May 2023, this hasn’t stopped fans from buzzing about questions left unanswered by the HBO series. One of these questions will perhaps always be who the late Logan Roy really wanted running Waystar Royco. Many believed it was Jeremy Strong's Kendall Roy, whose name was in Logan’s non-legally binding will. However, this assumption was drawn into question by an ill-placed line scribbled onto the paperwork, creating a debate, whether Logan intended to cross out Kendall’s name or underline it. The line is incredibly ambiguous, with intention being unclear. Show creator Jesse Armstrong just gave major revelation about the debate, however, it still didn't change my feelings about the ending.

Armstrong made an appearance at an event for the Financial Times in London where someone asked him if Kendall’s name was crossed out or underlined by Logan. While he admitted to hating the idea of answering such questions while Succession was still airing, he was happy to make his huge revelation now that the series has wrapped. He said:

The almost definitive answer to the debate surprised and delighted fans who attended the event. You can see a video from Armstrong answering the question from Twitter below:

While this is definitely huge news for fans, it doesn’t really change how I feel about the ending of Succession. When Kendall sees the paper for himself and questions if his dad intended for him to run the company, he asks Frank what he thought Logan would’ve wanted. He confirms in the moment that sometimes Logan wanted Kendall in the CEO position, and that constantly changed over time. It is confirmed in the show that the paper was old, so even if Logan did underline Kendall’s name, we never will know what Logan would’ve wanted at the time of his death.

This confirmation also doesn’t change my own personal theory about the underlined/crossed out debate. The line in question is ambiguous, throwing Kendall into a spiral about his father’s true feelings and faith in him. I believe Logan intended on making the line purposefully vague, knowing his children would argue about it after he was gone. Throughout the show, Logan acted as a puppet master, often pitting his children against each other for his own gain. He would promise the company to someone, and then take it away just as quickly. Even after his death, his presence loomed large, affecting everything his children did. This was one last way to still have a controlling presence from beyond the grave. 

Even if Logan did plan on underlining Kendall’s name as Armstrong suggests, at the end of the day, Kendall was never meant to be CEO of the company. In the end, Logan put the sale of Waystar in motion, placing Tom at the top. Kendall is left behind, hitting a new low, and leaving it to the audience to decide the tragic hero’s true fate. It’s a perfect finale for the tortured soul at the center of the series. It truly doesn’t matter what his father may have intended for him, because his ending is the same regardless. This shows the brilliance of the show Armstrong and the crew created, and how even a big reveal like this still doesn’t change the story in context. 

You can revisit the underlined/crossed-out debate for yourself by streaming Succession, which is currently streaming with a Max subscription. For more information about other great shows airing on the streaming service, check out our feature on the best shows on Max right now. 

While Succession had a great four-season run, the HBO original series that captured so many eyes and told the story of the Roys has finally ended. The finale was crazy, with even more intense episodes during Season 4, and so much more. But what is the cast going to do next? Here is what we know. 

Brian Cox (Logan Roy)

Arguably the face of the franchise, Brian Cox as Logan Roy was a huge deal and truly captured what it was like to run a major media conglomerate while also being the patriarch of a ruthless family, and I don’t think anyone else could have played the part so perfectly. So, it’s not that much of a surprise that this veteran actor has plenty lined up after his lead part in the show. 

Cox is set to star in a new Netflix film from famous duo of Joe and Anthony Russo, called The Electric State, according to NME, and is set to come out in 2024. He is also set to appear alongside star Jennifer Coolidge, Gabrielle Union, and Dustin Hoffman in the new feature, Riff Raff, according to Deadline. Additionally, he appeared in a Paramount+ original movie, Little Wing, in 2024, and is set to voice Santa Claus in an upcoming animated feature for Netflix called That Christmas, according to Variety. 

Also, Cox will spread his talents to the world of fantasy as he is a part of the voice cast for the upcoming anime, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, according to Deadline.  

Jeremy Strong (Kendall Roy)

Another face of the franchise, Jeremy Strong was the perfect Kendall Roy and he was even better in Season 4 of the series. While his father on the show, Brian Cox, has plenty lined up in television and film, Jeremy Strong is actually going to be switching mediums for a bit. 

Strong appeared in the Broadway play, Enemy of the People since then, but is set to appear in The Apprentice according to Deadline, a movie regarding Donald Trump. 

Sarah Snook (Shiv Roy)

Shiv Roy was another one of my personal favorites from the television series, and she was portrayed by the amazing Sarah Snook, who had an amazing run as the character. Snook has also appeared in the Apple TV+ movie, The Beanie Bubble, which also featured a star-studded cast with actors such as Zach Galifiankis, Elizabeth Banks, and Geraldine Viswanathan. Coming up, she’ll be in a new series called All Her Fault, according to Variety, and has a new film, Memoir of a Snail, releasing in theaters after it premiered at a film festival in June 2024.  

Matthew Macfadyen (Tom Wambsgans)

Matthew Macfadyen as Tom ended up becoming a sleeper hit performance for me on Succession, and over time I ended up really loving his character, so it’s no surprise that the actor has some new projects coming out. 

Macfadyen just has a major release with his role as Paradox in Deadpool & Wolverine, and will have a new film called Holland, Michigan releasing on Amazon Prime, according to Deadline. Additionally, he has a new miniseries releasing on Netflix, titled Death By Lightning, where he will co-star beside Michael Shannon.

Kieran Culkin (Roman Roy)

Roman Roy is a character you can’t truly ever forget from Succession, and he was played by the amazing Kieran Culkin, who has some roles lined up after the show. He reprised his role as Wallace in a voice role in the anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in 2023. He first played the role in live-action in the 2010 film, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. 

Culkin is also set to appear in the upcoming movie, A Real Pain, directed by Jesse Eisenberg, according to Collider.  

Alan Ruck (Connor Roy)

Alan Ruck portrayed Connor Roy in Succession, and he has plenty of new projects set up for the next few years. In 2023, he appeared in the Amazon Prime movie, The Burial. According to Deadline, Ruck is set to appear in a new movie called Crust. He is also going to star in Wind River: The Next Chapter. 

Justine Lupe (Willa Ferreyra) 

Willa was another character I didn’t think I’d end up liking as much as I did, but Justine Lupe did an excellent job portraying her. Soon, Justine Lupe will appear in a Netflix comedy series called Nobody Wants This, according to Deadline, alongside a star-studded cast of Kristen Bell, Adam Brody and more. 

Nicholas Braun (Greg Hirsch)

Oh, I could go on for hours about cousin Greg, but for now, we’ll just talk about Nicholas Braun and how awesome he did portraying the character. He appeared in Dream Scenario in 2023. Braun is set to appear in the upcoming Saturday Night as Jim Henson, according to Deadline,  and will appear in a new film called Three Bags Full alongside several other stars like Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and more. 

Peter Friedman (Frank Vernon)

Frank Vernon was another character that was around for a while, and he is played by Peter Friedman. The actor is currently working on a short film titled X, but he was also  in the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as George, so he’s certainly working outside of the Succession world already. Recently, Friedman has been active in theater, with a role in the show Job. 

Fisher Stevens (Hugo Baker)

Hugo Baker ends up making it all the way to the end of Succession and he is played by Fisher Stevens. The actor, who has been in Hollywood for some time, has appeared in several Wes Anderson movies, including Asteroid City. He also appeared in a film called Coup!, and will be in a new movie called In The Grey, according to Deadline. 

David Rasche (Karl Muller)

Karl Muller was another associate of Logan’s and Waystar on Succession, and he was played by David Rasche. He was in About My Father in 2023, and now has a new miniseries that he will co-star in, titled Dying for Sex, according to Deadline. 

Hiam Abbass (Marcia Roy)

While Marcia Roy sort of stopped appearing as much as the series went on, Hiam Abbass’ incredible performance will live on forever. Abbass was in Insidious: The Red Door in 2023, but so far she has nothing new coming out, so we’ll keep an eye out for new news. 

Arian Moayed (Stewy Hosseini)

You just gotta love Stewy and his attitude, and he was played by Arian Moayed. He appeared in a new film alongside Liam Neeson called Retribution, and has several projects coming out. A new film called House of Spoils alongside star Ariana DeBose and Barbie Ferreira, per Variety, is in the works, as well as another movie called Shell, according to Deadline. Additionally, the actor will be in a new movie for Apple and Skydance called Fountain of Youth. 

J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri Kellman)

Gerri was another character that I ended up loving on Succession until the end, and she was played by J. Smith-Cameron. She appeared in Turtles All The Way Down in 2024 for Max, and appeared in the popular TV show, Hacks and the TV show In The Know. There’s nothing set up just yet but I’m sure it won’t be long before we see more of Smith-Cameron.  

Alexander Skarsgård (Lukas Matsson)

Last but not least, we need to talk about Alexander Skarsgård, who played Lukas Matsson in Seasons 3 and 4, a very prominent role. He appeared in a film called Eric Laure with Judy Greer and appeared in a small role in the Amazon Prime series, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but the actor still has so much coming up. 

He will also be in a new feature, The Tiger, according to Deadline, where he will co-star with Dane DeHaan.

Skarsgård will also be in the thriller, The Pack, with leading lady Florence Pugh, according to Deadline, and the latest war film, Lee. And lastly, he’ll be in a new Apple TV+ series, Murderbot. 

This cast is honestly full of so much talent it’s going to be hard to keep track of where they are over the next several years, but just know you’ll be getting plenty of new movies and fun television shows from all of them. I’m so eager to see what they accomplish next. 

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the series finale for HBO’s Succession, so be warned!

“T- to the O-M. Wamb to the S-Gans.” That isn’t nearly as catchy as Kendall’s unforgettable rap song dedicated to his hard-hearted father, but it might be the one that Tom’s child eventually sings to him, presumably as an homage, at some big gala celebrating his life atop Waystar Royko as the official successor to Brian Cox’s late bazillionaire. In the end, Matthew Macfadyen’s foul-mouthed sycophant earned the spot at the head of Succession’s boardroom table, in large part due to Shiv the Shiv gutting Kendall when he most needed to remain un-Shived. It definitely took a while to get to that reveal, though, with 75+ minutes of Jesse Armstrong & Co.’s brilliantly savage, quirky, and endlessly quotable dialogue. 

So instead of talking the ins and the outs of how Tom will do as Matsson’s powerful puppet, let’s celebrate the best of the best lines from Succession’s series finale, “With Open Eyes,” since they’re almost definitely the last lines we’ll ever hear from the Roy family and the few characters who actually deserved happiness in the end.

Kendall: I fucking got this, Telly Bear.

While only a C+ line in the moment, it became an A+ line in retrospect, when comparing Kendall’s untethered optimism to the haggard look on Jeremy Strong’s face in the final shot as Ken’s staring out over the water. No moment in Succession was more worthy of Ron Howard’s Arrested Development Narrator popping in with a quick “He didn’t” than this gem. 

Shiv: This is separate feelings aside: Tom will honestly suck the biggest dick in the room. That’s just my assessment.

It’s almost heartbreaking to think that Shiv’s purposefully half-assed attempts to keep Tom employed beneath Matsson’s wing very directly helped to convince Matsson that her metaphorical dong-gobbling hubby would be the perfect Stepford CEO for him to control. 

Kendall: New Jess, New Jess.

I’m not sure if Succession ever did pinpoint the name of Kendall’s new assistant before the finale ended, possibly because I was too amused by him initially calling her “New Jess.” It sucks that Juliana Canfield wasn’t around to conclude things, but at least her wrongfully attributed name was there to make up for some of it. 

Catherine: Yeah, I don’t like to think of all these blobs of jelly rolling around in your head. Just…face eggs.

Harriet Walter’s performance in “With Open Eyes” makes me wish she’d been around so much more often to share her specific distaste for human eyes and other peculiar details. “Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those face eggs?”

Kendall: Cunt is as cunt does.

This line would easily be too sleazy a Kendall bumper sticker if not for how it foreshadowed Shiv’s umpteenth betrayal. In other shows, the mere fact that he spoke of her in such a way might have been the thing that provoked the betrayal, but this is Succession, after all, where not even Shiv’s future breast milk off-limits.  

Tom: I have an excess of vigilance, I think, and I have a very high tolerance for pain and physical discomfort.

Fans have so often seen Tom punching down when dealing with Greg and others below his pay grade, so seeing him show his true colors as a brown-nosing parasite is always a joy. And this particular selling point sparked quite the chuckle, and it was all the more hindsight-hilarious after Greg fought back during their bathroom mini-rumble. 

Greg: Hey, so..okay so, I have something huge. Dude, I’m in the center of the fucking universe with, like, knowledge to…to fucking, like, take down solar systems, man.

By and large, Nicholas Braun’s Greg has delivered my favorite lines in all of Succession, and while he didn’t get quite as many zingers as I would have liked in the finale, he was once again a lynchpin in bringing a house of cards down. (And through the cleverest of means, by using his phone to translate Matsson’s crew while they gossipped.) It’s too bad that the solar system his information ended up taking down was Kendall himself. 

Greg: Can I quad it up? Like, full quad?

Anytime Greg takes another shot at making #QuadGoals happen, I am all over it and then some. The joke really is on the Roy siblings, though, since Greg will still be living large at Waystar under some of his own terms, while the others will be wallowing in their own respective forms of misery. (Granted, Shiv will probably work Tom over to get her way sooner rather than later, but still.)

Telly: I think it hasn’t been great for credibility, The Incredible Fuck Brother Bandwagon.

Who knew the blonde-o Telly would make two appearances in this list, and that he would actually get one of the big lines? I love that he got to tell Kendall and Roman that their co-CEO venture has been summed up by the outside world in carnival sideshow terms, and that it was over the phone where no one could do anything about it. And big props to the editors for keeping in the take where Kieran Culkin subtly muffed repeating the name back. It’s a hard phrase to say out of the blue. 

Shiv: Persuasive. What else did he say when no one was around? That he was the Zodiac Killer? That he did Tupac?

Is it really THAT out there to think that Logan might take credit for some of the biggest unsolved murder cases in the last 100 years? He probably wouldn’t drop those confessions into Roman’s ears, admittedly. 

Roman: Or he played you like a big fiddle. Like a pregnant cello.

Another instant laugh-out-loud line from Roman, who couldn’t help but add a quippy insult to injury as Shiv was realizing her big play had dissolved beneath her. 

Roman: You get the bauble. Congratulations. It’s haunted and cursed and nothing will ever go right, but…yeah, enjoy your bauble.

Another line that was rock solid in the moment, only for it to get upended by the time the credits rolled. The only bauble that Kendall actually took on was the imagined trinket his brother sarcastically offered him, and yet it still managed to haunt and curse him. 

Caroline: Fine. That fucks Christmas up, doesn’t it? Oh, don’t touch that, that’s Peter’s cheese! God’s sake. I made that mistake myself. His special cheese. He gets really boring about it.

So. Goddamned. Good. The up-and-down-ness of this line was so perfect, and Harriet Walter’s delivery was indeed good enough to send the siblings into the giggle-fits that ensued. Maybe not enough to cause Roman to slosh his tongue over every inch of Peter’s special cheese, but he rarely needs further provoking. 

Peter: Fucking waste of time.

Power to Pip Torrens, who knocks every appearance as Peter out of the park, and I don’t think anyone in this show was dealt a better final line than this. I’m sure his idea was shit, too, and he should have known better than to try and sell the Roy kids on it. 

Logan's Delivery Of The Losers List

Though Brian Cox filmed a scene or two for the funeral episode, that was just to throw off onlookers. The finale, however, did feature a “new” Logan scene that was definitely worth waiting for, as he delivered the politically minded Losers List at a dinner party with Conner, Kerry and the Waystar higher-ups. The whole thing was solid, and even though it was split up by others’ dialogue, it still warranted a spot on this list. 

Conner: I’m a little teapot. Fuck off!

Now I need a whole run of just Roy siblings parodying classic kids songs as if Logan was the one singing them. Conner didn’t even need to keep singing this one. Two-lined perfection. 

Hugo: Big, big day on the ol’ salami line, huh?

This would have been a humdinger of a Fisher Stevens line even if Karolina hadn’t just voiced to Shiv an interest in firing Hugo as soon as possible. I suppose I see her point.

Kendall: Bullshit. Bullshit. You like pancakes and waffles and you kiss guys on Molly. You’re not the heart of darkness. You’re…you’re a grilled cheese with a sucked dick.

Succession sometimes takes it bro-baby shit-talk to baffling places, such as when Kendall called Stewy a “grilled cheese with a sucked dick.” Is that really the opposite of the heart of darkness? Does one reach the River Styx, take a hard left turn, and then there’s the land of grilled cheeses with sucked dicks somewhere yonder?

Kendall: I’m the eldest boy!!

Kendall has hit so many new lows during Succession’s four seasons, with arguably the biggest 1-2-3 combo being “being involved in that waiter’s death,” “confessing his involvement to Roman and Shiv,” and then “lying and saying that confession was all bullshit,” with the latter happening in the finale. Oh wait, you say you have that much further to fall, Ken? Ah, yes, screaming the phrase “I’m the eldest boy!!” in the midst of an argument with your brother and sister, within an office with glass walls that aren’t soundproof. That’s somehow the dumbest low Kendall could have stooped to. Since it’s pure whining, and also isn’t even true.

Roman: Hey! We are bullshit.

Even though Kieran Culkin’s wholly defeated Roman rattled off a bit more about just how nothing they are as a family, the line above could easily serve as an epitaph for any one of the siblings, Conner included, or even Logan himself. Just spray paint that rumination across the front of the family crypt, I’d say. 

Honorable Mentions

• Shiv: Are there any, uh, positives about the nightmare we’ve shared?
• Caroline: Seem to have landed myself the only hellhole in paradise.
• Shiv: Just a bit of horseplay gone wrong. Just a biff to the head and a bonk to the noggin. 
• Shiv: You can smile, bitch.
• Roman: Oh, it’s a BAG of frozen knobbies. 
• Kendall: Don’t go down on Peter’s special cheese. 
• Roman: I haven’t seen Frank run like that ever.

Succession may be done with delivering new episodes, but fans can always rewatch the four-season run to their hearts’ content with a Max subscription. 

Spoilers below for anyone who isn’t yet caught up on Succession’s latest episodes, so be warned!

Whenever the history books close on 2023 TV — an act common for history books, no? — I’d put money on Succession’s Logan Roy being recognized as the year’s most noteworthy small screen death. Fans were still getting used to the idea that the show would be ending with Season 4, and then along came the awards-worthy episode “Connor’s Wedding” with its expectation-shattering turmoil for the Roy family. The HBO drama soared highly and mightily again with the funeral-centric penultimate ep “Church and State,” during which Logan’s body was interred within a ridiculously opulent mausoleum. Unless that wasn’t actually his body inside the coffin! An idea that would sound a lot more baffling if it weren’t for Brian Cox himself keeping the “Logan Isn’t Dead” theory alive going into the finale.

Succession will wrap up completely (and presumably for good) whenever the series finale “With Open Eyes” airs on Sunday, May 28. Fans can probably take comfort in the idea that creator Jesse Armstrong won’t be pulling any fast ones on viewers by having Cox’s Logan step out from the shadows to reveal it’s all been a ruse, but I can’t help but be lovingly fascinated by the Scottish actor playing up the idea that his character isn’t actually dead, all while bemoaning the fact that his (fake) death went down so early in the fourth season. Speaking on the BBC Two program Amol Rajan Interviews, Cox brought up his previously shared take on Logan’s potential survival. In his words:

Frequent Succession director Mark Mylod and Jesse Armstrong have offered logical and justifiable enough explanations for why Logan’s death episode was filmed in such a way that his body was shown as infrequently as possible, with only a single shot putting any kind of focus on his face and head. And it did indeed help to create an offbeat tension throughout the runtime, though at the same time ran counter to TV tropes and expectations. Because as many viewers are well aware: unless you see someone’s body rotting in the ground without a head, there’s a pret-ty decent chance that character could return down the line. Even if the HBO series won’t actually still be airing after May 28.

Most actors try to avoid this kind of arguably unnecessary speculation about a character’s fate, since it usually leads to years of fans continuously asking the same kinds of questions about it. But Brian Cox DGAF, and he’s here to pour lighter fluid all over this speculation bonfire. Because by all means, if there’s any character on TV who is schemey, duplicitous and all-around rich enough to pull off a faked-death scenario such as this, complete with a highly populated funeral (complete with Cox’s real-life wife) that nearly broke Roman’s brain, it would be Logan Roy 110%. (Inflated numbers, just as Kendall likes em.) 

Kieran Culkin’s self-loathing Roman is the one character on the show who has himself expressed the belief, albeit as a form of emotional denial, that Logan isn't dead. He said it in Episode 403 after noting that he hadn't seen the body, and then during his funeral meltdown, he questioned if his father was actually in the coffin. I was honestly hoping that someone would pop that sucker open, even if that might have traumatized ol' Romulus for the rest of his nihilistic existence. Especially since Cox was actually on site to thwart speculation that it was his funeral being filmed. Alas, the coffin stayed shut, and the youngest sibling will be possibly be mourning his father without closure for years to come. (No happiness for him after the finale, which is fine.)

In any case, Brian Cox doesn't actually think there will be any plans to bring Logan back, either on the show or off of it, saying:

I'm really hoping the main reason Cox is keeping that line of thinking open is because there's another minor clue in the finale that it could be a legit twist. Even though Succession's final episode will be focused on Kendall, Roman, and Shiv's respective attempts to take over the family business through backstabbing ruthlessness, I can't imagine the whole shebang will play out without Logan's name and impact being referenced throughout. 

Maybe someone will see an unknown number listening in to a board meeting, or will see a gray-haired gent standing around nearby who just so happens to disappear when he's chased around a corner. Although I guess that might sound more like the Waystar offices are haunted...and that might actually be what I want more than anything: a fifth season or spinoff that spins its financial drama into a paranormal thriller. I think I need to start writing that. 

Succession's final episode ever will air on HBO on Sunday, May 28, at 9:00 p.m. ET, and will be available to stream with a Max subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other shows are on the way that Logan Roy also won't be haunting as a ghoulish specter. 

Spoilers below for the penultimate episode of HBO’s Succession, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched what’ll presumably be the most elaborate TV funeral of 2023.

To be expected, Succession delivered a tour-de-force gut-punch with its second-to-last installment, “Church and State,” which boasted a runtime of 65+ minutes that was almost entirely dedicated to Logan Roy’s rather regal funeral ceremony. Save for the first act laying down the chaos running rampant across the country due to Jaryd Mencken being recognized as the new President Elect, that is. That outside-world reaction came crashing down on Kendall’s already crumbling optimism, while Roman was crushed by his inner emotions boiling up to the surface, and while Shiv rather swiftly cemented her alignment with Matsson, with a bit of help from Justin Kirk’s divisive politician. And somehow, the entirety of that mess was eclipsed by a short and shockingly sweet scene involving Logan’s four mistresses, with the previously unrevealed paramour being someone quite important to star Brian Cox.

Logan's Four Mistresses Met, And It Was Glorious

I truly expected some highly flammable sparks to fly in all the directions once Harriet Walter’s Lady Caroline approached Zoë Winters’ Kerry inside the church, especially after her encounter with Shiv was such a judgmental and icy exchange. And it certainly continued to give off such explosion-y vibes when Caroline ushered in a character viewers had never met before, and had them all sitting in the front row across the aisle from the Roy siblings. In Logan’s ex-wife’s words: 

But while it first came across as a harsh and possibly malicious way to rub Logan’s infidelity into others’ faces, it soon became more clear that it was just Caroline taking charge and knocking down the barriers meant to keep the four somewhat like-minded women away from one another, despite their shared love (at different times) for the late billionaire. Even Marcia appeared ready for mental blows, only to find herself softening and understanding that to continue carrying any grudges after Logan’s death would be a needless burden. It might not be how everyone would react in such a situation, but it speaks to whatever Marcia’s innate goodness quotient is that she made the effort to show a crying Kerry physical comfort. (Now she’s even more justifiable as a candidate for the characters I feel deserve a happy post-finale outcome.)

The four women sharing such an important time together so cordially speaking volumes about the kind of women Logan was affectionate for, and speaks further volumes about how far in the other direction his children are on that emotional spectrum. They’re a collective mess (except for maybe Conner?), and their only instincts and loyalties are to the company that Logan built, instead of the man himself. Granted, they didn’t view their pops in the same way that Marcia, Caroline, Kerry and Sally-Anne did — well, maybe Roman’s gross ass — but there’s so much the sibs could learn from his inamoratas. 

The Actress Playing Sally-Anne Is Brian Cox's Real Wife

Considering Kerry brought a lawyer in case she was blocked from getting into the church, she definitely didn’t expect to be welcomed into anyone’s group, and one would imagine Sally-Anne felt the same way after all these years. But no reason to suspect her portrayer, Nicole Ansari Cox, would be steered away from the premises, since she’s the real-world wife to star Brian Cox. I love that kind of easter egg that doesn’t go too hard on the winking. Had she said, “I wish I’d have known what it was like to be married to him,” or something, that would have been too much. 

One of the reasons why the actress might have been around on the set that day was because Cox himself was also part of the funeral’s filming. The actor explained in the aftermath of Logan’s death episode, the equally fantastic “Connor’s Wedding,” that he went out and filmed a scene or two around the cemetery and church in order to keep fans from speculating that it was his character’s funeral being filmed. So it’s possible he knew he wouldn’t need to be around that much, and made a family trip out of it. Or maybe Jesse Armstrong looped Nicole Ansari-Cox in because she’s already a talented and established TV actress. Having started her acting career as a child in Germany, Ansari-Cox has been in episodes of Deadwood, The Blacklist, FBI, and most recently a Law & Order ep in January 2023.

“Church and State” also finally gave viewers answers for Logan’s sister Rose thanks to Ewan’s powerful eulogy that helped turn Roman into an emotional wreck. Fans can relive the chaos with a Max subscription while awaiting the series finale. 

Jesse Armstrong’s HBO hit Succession is a powerhouse drama in every sense of the word, from its yearly Emmy wins (including last year’s Outstanding Lead Drama victory) to its game-changing episodes that take over pop culture convos. But for a show that gets as serious as the Roy family’s saga can get, Succession also wins out for the irreplaceable presence of Nicholas Braun’s Greg Hirsch. (Or more formally Gregory Hirsch, or most formally “heir apparent to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg twelve times removed,” depending on the season.) Though Brian Cox’s Logan Roy arguably holds the Best Quote trophy for his signature “Fuck off!” Greg would earn dozens upon dozens of honorable mentions in that realm.

Now, with Succession ending after Season 4 wraps, it’s as good a time as any to round up a batch of the show’s most awkward, perfect, and unforgettable Greg lines that I’ll no doubt still be quoting and referencing years after watching the finale. And yes, it’ll probably be while I have Kendall Roy’s “L to the OG” rap blaring somewhere in my house. Let’s kick things off with one of Braun’s first big scenes in the series premiere. (All episodes can be streamed with a Max subscription.)

"You scratch my back... I’m not gonna say I could scratch yours. It’d be too considerable of a space. But is there an angle there, perhaps?"

• From Season 1's "Celebration"

Before Greg could become a fan-favorite character, he had to lay the groundwork. And what better way to accomplish such a feat amidst such strong personalities than to awkwardly compliment his dismissive great-uncle's back in the process of asking for a job. Extra points for this quote for being the weirdest way possible to foreshadow Logan's back legitimately having a variety of scars from some unexplained scratchings and lashings. 

"I gots the old rumblin’ tum."

• From Season 1's "I Went To Market"

It's far too relatable a situation to try and make small talk happen with someone who clearly wants none of it, only to have that small talk emerge via the least natural string of words. By this mid-point in Season 1, it was clear that I would watch a whole season just filled with Greg trying to win over older relatives, and I would love to be in the mind of James Cromwell's Ewan Roy when Greg expressed his hunger in such a way. 

"So this is what you do? You like, go to a club, and then you come to, like, this other part where the club sort of isn’t?"

• From Season 1's "Which Side Are You On?"

Some people call it the VIP section, some people call it the club spot where the club isn't. Wait, no, that's just Greg. I kinda wish there was a dictionary that was only filled with Greg phrasings and what they mean. 

"It's a pretty great view, huh? I mean out there. Not me."

• From Season 1's "Prague"

Though Greg later has to work hard to develop a believable ego, this was a splendidly breezy way to unload some awks charisima within the office. And obviously whenever this line gets quoted, one has to do the same hand motion that he does right afterward. 

"I don't do white drugs."

• From Season 1's "Prague"

Though his attempt to turn down Kendall's cocaine offer was unsuccessful, it was still the most valiant and quotable way to do so. Anytime anyone offers me anything white — from milk to socks to looseleaf paper — half of my responses will just be an echo of the above quote. 

"Yeah, no, I mean I’m sure it, yeah, could be way better. I just…don’t…know how."

• From Season 2's "Vaulter"

Nicholas Braun's rising(ish) star(ish) within Waystar Royco is a great surrogate for viewers who will likely never enjoy the spoils of the Roy family's wealth, and his reaction to Kendall's penthouse is one of his most relatable moments in the entire series. Being impressed and complimentary, and then attempting to fake complacency to match Ken's blahness, only for his natural awe-struck instinct to come through anyway.

"Blue Danube, no more."

• From Season 2's "Hunting"

One of Greg's most lovable qualities is the way in which he gets into a sketch situation without others knowing, and then casually asks about the repercussions involved with whatever he got caught up in, and then jokes his way through whatever he learns, while presumably frozen in fear on the inside. Whenever Kendall mentioned that Logan would chop up the "inner-circle" rat and throw the body parts in the Danube river, the above was Greg's go-to line, which probably works better than anything else in this list as far as actual day-to-day sayings go. So if you come across something has been spoiled beyond its usefulness, just look at the person next to you and say, "Blue Danube, no more."

"My sand mites are getting bitten by midges."

• From Season 2's "Dundee"

As opposed to the previous Danube quote, Greg's complaints about various parasites competing for real estate on his back isn't nearly as universal. 

"If it is to be said, so it be…so it is."

• From Season 2's "This Is Not for Tears"

Greg's courthouse response to Eric Bogosian's Gil Eavis (who asked if Greg was Tom's executive assistant) is a faux-pompous masterclass in unnecessary words. And thus is best to use whenever answering the most mundane kinds of questions. "Did you check the mail today?" "Can you pass the salt?" And so on.

"I'm sturdy. I'm a sturdy birdy."

• From Season 3's "Lion in the Meadow"

Another moment that speaks so soundly to Greg's inability to be confident and convincing. Pro tip: when someone important asks if you're good to go, do not refer to yourself as a bird, and definitely don't do it in a way that rhymes. Unless, of course, you're just quoting Succession like me.

"I don't know how you did it back in the '60s. Different times. Different times indeed. Better times? Not...not for all."

• From Season 3's "Lion in the Meadow"

Only Greg could express faux humility about not being good at day-drinking in a way that also offhandedly brings to mind the myriad social woes of yesteryear. 

"I'm worried about prison. I just feel because of my physical length, I could be a target for all kinds of misadventures."

• From Season 3's "What It Takes"

While this isn't necessarily the most relatable Greg quote for everyday life, I think we're all probably a little worried about prison, and which of our specific body distinctions would be targeted for misadventures. 

"What am I gonna do with a soul anyways? Souls are boring. Boo, souls."

• From Season 3's "All the Bells Say"

Selling one's soul for success is a tale as old as literature itself, but Greg still somehow makes it his own by specifically calling it out in the process of it happening. It's a good thing ol' Daniel Webster isn't part of any legal teams going after Waystar.

"Okay, well don't turn me into a word, Tom. I'm a guy. Why...why do you have all these little guys? These little Greggies running around? Who are these little Gregs?!?"

• From Season 4's "Connor's Wedding"

Episode 403 was a magnificent episode even beyond Logan's death, with an early convo between Greg and Tom offering up much repeatable nonsense, with Greglets and Gregging near the top of the add-to-the-dictionary chain. "Don't turn me into a word, Tom" is such a perfect piece of dialogue in any capacity. 

"I guess he occasionally has expressed a distaste, uh, in the past for my particular flavor of me."

This quote is a road-map in Greg-speak, essentially taking a simple idea and making it sound complicated through how it's worded. "Matsson doesn't like me" just wouldn't be Greg. Or, as Kendall referred to him during that exchange: Bony Maroni. 

The Little Greggies That Didn't Quite Make The Cut

• "I can drink these, right? These are drinks for people?"
• "Like, I either owe it to tell him - owe it to him to tell him, or I don’t owe it to him to totally t-... not tell him."
• "I don't have a Bertrand Russell quote, because I just...haven't even heard of him 'til now."
• "Pretty monstrous. His crew knows some unseemly venues. I danced with an old man. Yeah, he didn’t want to dance, and they made us dance. He was so confused. I drank things that aren't normally drinks."
• "I might have touched Bill Gates."
• "Well...can I just say...I think it's hard to make houses seem like tech 'cause we've had houses for a while now."
• "She's a firecracker, man. She's crunchy peanut butter."

It's too bad Greg's more negative and Disgusting Bros behavior came out in full as Succession went on, as it's become all the more difficult to side with him during certain moments. As such, he didn't make my cut of characters who deserve happiness after the show's conclusion. But since he's pretty much always been looking out for Greg above all, he deserves exactly what he gets, which will probably be pretty solid. 

Spoilers below for the latest episode of HBO’s Succession, so be warned if you haven’t yet made the trip to Norway.

We’ve reached the halfway point in Succession’s streamable fourth and final season, but the specter of Logan Roy definitely hasn’t been vanquished from the HBO hit, as Brian Cox’s patriarch is still a major point of contention for the Roy siblings on their quest to sell most of the company off. But nothing is ever so easy for these characters, even when it seems like it, as evidenced by the episode “Kill List.” Kieran Culkin’s Roman laid out a venomous rant that appeared to blow up the deal with Alexander Skarsgård's quietly ruthless Lukas Matsson, until it didn’t, as it now looks like the baby brother’s emotional outburst was the perfect move to secure the buyout, even if ATN is (currently) part of the deal.

While Succession fans could no doubt spend a while just talking about the business end of what went down on top of that Scandinavian mountain, the best part of the episode in my eyes was easily Roman wholeheartedly unburdening himself via a rage-filled dressing-down of Skarsgård's power-hungry tech king Matsson. Any rant that ends with someone saying “Yeah, I fucking hate you,” with a hard-G on the F-bomb, well, it’s one for the ages. And Culkin talked about bringing that scene to life for the latest ep of HBO’s Succession Podcast. When host Kara Swisher brought up the character going over the edge in a way that Matsson likely viewed as a business-minded ploy, the actor answered by saying:

It was a breath of mountain-fresh air for Roman to take the offensive and get the spotlight in Episode 405, with the previous installment hinging largely on the “underlined or crossed-out” debate surrounding Kendall’s name in Logan’s non-legalized will. Granted, that required Culkin to deal with even more dark states of mind to sink into ahead of filming, to the point where the actor admitted he wasn’t even fully cognizant of the gorgeous settings they were filming in as the cameras were rolling, and only took the time to appreciate things in between set-ups. 

But for all that Roman was so hardcore and in-the-moment when calling out Matsson for forcing the overseas face-to-face as a power move, rather than respectfully giving the family time to grieve before demanding the next move be made in the buyout talks, the character is still in something of a freefall, according to Kieran Culkin. He hasn't quite found his footing in a post-Logan world, and the actor says it's very important for Roman to have a specific task at hand as a way to avoid pitfalling. (Now I kinda feel bad for predicting Roman's death in Season 4.) In his words:

Keeping oneself busy can often be the easiest way to cope with grief, even if it may not always be the healthiest reaction. In Roman's case, fooling himself into believing he'd already grieved is part of what brought him to react so strongly to Matsson, as he was still quite sensitive to every comment the GoJo founder made about their dad, even if he probably would have agreed with most of the comments under different circumstances. You know he was just fooling himself by claiming that Logan wasn't a prick.

It might seem like the easiest move for the Roy siblings to just sell off everything Logan built up in order to spend their lives in the laps of luxury. But for Kieran Culkin, it would be a nightmare for Roman to never be recognized for anything outside of being Logan's son. In his words:

Now, it appears the biggest upcoming event for the Roy crew is Logan's funeral, which Brian Cox himself actually filmed for, as a way to throw onlookers off of predicting who died. Of course, with this season take place across one day per episode, it's hard to tell exactly when that funeral will fall, and whether or not we'll get more information about Logan's past, specifically about his late sister Rose.

But all episodes are available to stream with an HBO Max subscription, with new episodes airing linearly on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Brian Cox has been the center of attention in the television world following his character Logan Roy’s surprise death on Succession, HBO's award-mongering hit drama. Cox portrayed the fictional head of an international media conglomerate to great success and acclaim (and interview notoriety) before his time with that show came to an end. Now, the 76-year-old actor will be jumping over to streaming for his next gig, which involves both James Bond and the actor's own homeland.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cox has boarded Amazon Studios' new and unscripted competition series, 007’s Road to a Million, and as its title suggests, it will have a strong focus on James Bond. The Emmy winner’s will be playing a character of sorts called “The Controller” on the game show, and he'll somewhat act as a master of ceremonies, taking part in controlling the fate of the contestants on the show as they travel internationally while competing in a series of Bond-inspired challenges. Sounds like a dream gig for anyone who's followed the internationally renowned spy franchise. 

Cox said of his new role: 

Additionally, 007’s Road to a Million is set to feature famous Bond locations like Scotland --- which is where Cox himself is from --- Jamaica, and Venice. The structure of the series is an endurance-based challenge with teams of two competing to win $1.2 million. How Cox will influence the challenges specifically is not yet known, but I’m sure his character will find various ways to throw wrenches in the strategies of the various hopefuls. Though probably without slinging as many F-bombs as he did on Succession. 

To that end, Cox should feel right at home portraying a “villain and tormentor,” as he’s had plenty of practice having similar attributes while playing Logan Roy, who often made his children and other employees jump through metaphorical flaming hoops. Cox seems perfectly well cast in this role, and the spy thriller theming anticipates an exciting viewing experience for audiences. EON Productions, the producers behind the James Bond franchise, are also behind the project, so the competition series should be authentic to the Bond aesthetic. While a UK series, 007’s Road to a Million will be able to stream internationally with an Amazon Prime subscription, where it should do well with fans of shows like Jack Ryan and Reacher. 

The James Bond streaming series isn’t the only post-Succession project Cox has coming down the pike. The X-Men alum is also set to star in Netflix's upcoming film The Electric State alongside an ensemble cast that includes Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown. The film is helmed by the Russo Brothers for Netflix, and is currently in post-production. He is also starring in a horror comedy titled The Parenting with Parker Posey and Edie Falco. While Cox’s reign on Succession may have come to an end, fans can look forward to seeing plenty more from the actor on the small screen in the near future. 

007’s Road to a Million will be available to stream on Prime Video later this year. In the meantime, you can catch Brian Cox’s incredible run on the fourth and final season of Succession, which can be streamed now with an HBO Max subscription. For more information on other upcoming series hitting streaming services and beyond, make sure to consult our 2023 television schedule. 

Spoilers below for Succession’s latest episode, titled “Honeymoon States,” so be warned if you haven’t yet paid respects.

After the shocking emotional wreckage birthed from “Conner’s Wedding,” --- or would it be reverse-birthed? --- Succession successfully slid right back into fuck-factory machinations with Episode 404, presumably using flopsy-armed Kerry’s abundant tears to grease that re-entry. The grief and layover shock wafting about Logan’s apartment during his wake created an interesting new lens through which to witness the ruthless shenanigans we’re used to seeing from Waystar’s finest. Many fans would likely agree Kendall’s particular issues were expertly showcased through the paperwork found in Logan’s safe, in which the media mogul’s inability to clearly underline or cross out Kendall’s name will no doubt have gigantic ramifications despite not being legally binding. 

That Logan even drafted printed-out paperwork, in which Kendall was clearly specified to be the company’s next CEO, obviously showed intention. But the real question is whether Logan meant to cross out his son’s name in order to take him out of the running, or if Logan intended to underline it, presumably as a further sign of fatherly faith. Is it even worth the time to presume such things, though, when Succession writer and executive producer Lucy Prebble has voiced her own belief that the Roy family matriarch probably intended to take Kendall out of the running with that errant pen mark. Here’s how she put it when appearing on HBO’s Succession Podcast.

As soon as it became clear that Kendall would be leaning hard on the “underlined or crossed out” mystery, whether as a means of corporate ladder-climbing or as a sponge for his daddy issues, I started to wonder if this entire episode would be revealed as a fever dream Jeremy Strong’s character was having in lieu of restful sleep. Because who in their right mind (or even their batshit broken mind) would for a second think that Logan Roy, while reviewing that round of will adjustments, would take the time to double-down on agreeing with his decision to make Kendall next in line? 

Lucy Prebble was possibly underselling things to imply that the late bazillionaire wasn’t known for taking any time at all to show inked-in support for any of his children, especially with none of them even around to see him do it. I honestly don’t even think Logan would have been the one looking over that paperwork himself, so that scratch-out (or underlining) may not even be his own handiwork. Which, theoretically, would make it that much more possibly an underlining, if someone else was involved. But that’s just grasping at coke residue-caked straws.

In any case, while it technically doesn’t matter to shareholders or the rest of the outside world whether Kendall’s name was underlined or crossed out, the lack of clarity is itself enough of a motivating factor to completely flip up any and all plans Strong’s new co-CEO had about vacating the family business. Because if Logan truly did mean to lock in that undated successor decision, the approval factor alone would be enough for Kendall to convince himself that he wants to make his pops proud.
More realistically, though, Kendall having hard proof of Logan dismissing his leadership capabilities would be more than enough to spark a spite-infused takeover attempt, which is basically what’s being incited now. And Succession’s Lucy Prebble talked to the podcast’s host Kara Swisher about how Kendall could repurpose his anger over Logan’s lack of support to justify choices that won’t put the family in a good light. In her words:

Now, this is a show that aimed to throw viewers off the scent of Logan’s death by having Brian Cox take part in filming trickery, so it’s entirely possible that a reveal is coming where Frank confesses he actually typed up that paper himself specifically to give Roman that many more self-esteem issues. Probably not, but I already like Kendall adopting his “L to the DGAF” attitude again, and I’m perfectly fine with all of Logan’s dirty laundry being hung out for public viewing. Perhaps if he hadn’t been genuinely intent on selling the company, Kendall might have felt respectful enough to just walk away with burning some of it down.

As far as “things that shouldn’t burn” go, Prebble also chuckled while talking about the creation of the paperwork in question, and the fact that they had to make a formal choice for which iteration looked best for TV. Here’s how she put it:

It's a whole other conversation to think about how much that paper in Logan's safe affected Shiv's state of mind that particular day, given her lack of happiness about her newly revealed pregnancy, so the added emotional rejection there, combined with being left out of the co-CEO choice, left her in a pretty desperate position. 

Find out where things go next when Succession delivers "Kill List" next Sunday night on HBO, with streaming available for any and all with an HBO Max subscription, which will also grant viewers access to lots of other shows still yet to arrive in the 2023 TV schedule.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of Succession, so be very warned if you haven’t yet watched!

Immediately after HBO aired the latest and arguably the most shocking episode of Succession yet, fans and critics immediately started lauding it as the best installment of the show, of the season, and of the year, with some putting it in the Greatest Of All Time annals. Everything was top notch, from the acting, the direction, the production design and more, but arguably the episode’s biggest achievement was the confusion and shock value stemming from Logan Roy dying mostly off-camera only three episodes into the ten-installment final season. As it happens, the crew went to some amusing and impressive lengths to preserve the secrets and avoid spoilers leaking out. 

Succession Kept Brian Cox Around For More (Faux) Filming

Given that creator Jesse Armstrong had the narratively stellar idea to kill off Logan long before fans expected it, it meant that star Brian Cox wouldn’t have any real need to stick around the sets for the remaining months of production. But then a complete dearth of the actor would almost necessarily inspire speculation from those nearby that Logan was killed off in some way. As such, they talked to Cox, who agreed to stick around for much of the shoot’s remainder, as a way to keep onlookers guessing. Here’s how director and executive producer Mark Myold put it to Variety:

Considering Mylod specifically mentioned seeing him down the line, the outlet asked if that meant fans could expect to see a flashback sequence with Logan once again in the flesh. Alas, that's apparently not meant to be. In his words:

So as sad as it may be to hear once again, we have indeed seen our last scenes featuring Logan Roy. That said, I can’t help but feel like we’re owed a post-credits sequence in the finale that features Brian Cox’s character in the afterlife telling either God or Satan to “fuck off!” Hell, that could have been the reason why Jesse Armstrong wanted to end the show, from a desire to see Logan curse out a spiritual entity.  

How Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David Played Into It

As incredible as it would have been for Larry David to sign on for Succession in order to take over the role of Logan Roy, it might not have made a lick of plot sense, and is kind of an insane thought to have all-around. That said, he does manage to have a key set of initials that matched up with the ep's major plot bombshell, and so that's how the writers ended up referring to the death of the family patriarch. Here's how one such staffer Georgia Pritchett put it:

Now I'd love to hear what any passersby thought after seeing Larry David's name tied in with Succession plot points. Also, how fucked up would "Connor's Wedding" have been if the tuba stings from Curb Your Enthusiasm's theme song would have hit right when Roman was walking away from the Waystar jet after EMTs took Logan away. Yet still weirdly perfect. Maybe Brian Cox and his co-stars will enter the mix of Curb's best guest stars of all time.

Brian Cox Actually Appeared On Set For Logan's Funeral Scene

To be expected, Succession will indeed give fans a bit of closure through a funeral sequence, which will presumably take place in Episode 4, barring any further setbacks. Since there were plenty of paparazzi, photographers, and general lookie-loos all over, that was one day where the crew aimed to film one of the aforementioned dummy scenes with Brian Cox in the nearby church. Unfortunately, time was running short, and they weren't able to set the shot up properly, so the actor was told he wasn't needed on the set any longer .

However, Cox was more than aware of the value of secrecy at this point in the filming process, and decided to go against others' wishes by sticking around anyway, so that the illusion of Logan's continued survival could be maintained. Here's how Cox put it to Deadline:

That Brian Cox sure is a show-saver, amirite? It's perhaps also worth noting that while the actor did film unusable scenes for later episodes, he wasn't the one on the floor in the plane in Episode 3. That was a stuntman with a passing resemblance to Cox, and one who could more easily deal with taking on so many chest compressions without snapping. 

Succession totally pulled out the stops in order to stop viewers from learning about the big death too early. Even though many people expected it would happen by the end, I can't imagine many people had "dying in the bathroom of his jet after potentially hearing Roman call him a cunt" wouldn't be on the top of anyone's predictions list. 

New episodes of Successon air Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET. Head to our TV premiere schedule to see what other major dramas are starting up soon.

Major spoilers below for Succesion’s jaw-plummeting latest episode, “Connor's Wedding,” so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

Holy mother of all that is WTF-alooza, Succession went and dropped its biggest father-lode bombshell on both viewers and the Roy siblings (among plenty of others baked into the HBO drama’s upper crust) in only the third episode of the fourth and final season. Brian Cox’s brutal and overbearing corporate genius Logan Roy is now dead, despite whatever “they faked it” theories may follow, and creator Jesse Armstrong & Co. crafted a spectacularly unique TV approach to a major character’s death episode. And part of its uniqueness was the abundant and authentic wave of awkwardness, in place of more traditional sorrowl, due to an onslaught of shock and purposefully obscured clarity.

The range of poignantly awkward scenes and sequences ran from cripplingly tragic to needlessly callous to darkly hilarious and back again, while never straying from each character’s iffy behavior that we’ve come to expect from the family and their closest cohorts. So let's go over the full array below, in no particular order, but with a fairly specific rating system. 

1. Roman And Tom At The Start Of "The Call"

Had Succession been set in the early aughts, Tom's call to announce Logan's rapidly declining health would have no doubt been offensively stuffed with "Can you hear me now?" utterances. Yet the first chunk of that call still conveyed the same sense of broken communication here in 2023, partially due to air-to-boat signals, and partially due to Tom having the bedside manner of a wet mothball. For all the dire importance of the sentiments being conveyed by Kendall, Roman, and Tom, the somewhat farcical misunderstandings and repeated questions and comments were unnerving enough for part of my brain to default to believing the episode would end with everything revealed to be a regret-infused dream following the karaoke blow-up. (Maybe I just wanted my Roman-dying theory to pan out.)

Awkwardness Level (on a scale of 1-5 Roman Dick Pics): 4 ½ Tear-Glistened Roman Dick Pics

2. All Of Tom’s Instincts

While we’re on the subject of Tom and the ways he can sometimes appear to be a malfunctioning android as much as a functioning human, his already lacking social skills took a further beating simply by being on the front lines of Logan’s death and the seemingly endless amount of chest compressions being administered. Weirdly (or fittingly) enough, he was at his most natural when talking to Frank, Karl and Karolina, but turned into a puttering mess as soon as he was in touch with Greg, Shiv, or the other members of the fam. I think the most uncomfortable element here is that Tom feels the need to rely on his hardly appreciated behavioral instincts rather than just shedding those instincts and living emotionally in the moment. Tom’s gonna Tom.

Awkwardness Level: 3 ½  Roman Dick Pics Taken In Tom’s Office During Work Hours

3. Connor’s Reaction To Learning Logan Died

Succession masterfully pre-festered this particular awkwardness throughout Roman, Kendall, and Shiv’s phone exchanges as Tom played liaison, without Connor’s name coming up at all until it was all but certain that the clan’s patriarch wasn’t returning alive. Basically still keeping Connor at arm’s length from the Logan/Caroline sibs, despite his unyielding hopes that his pops would make it to his floating wedding. And when they finally laid it on him, his immediate instinct was to voice what’s clearly been an innate belief, that Logan disliked him, before addressing what’s likely another core truth: that he was never quite able to make Logan proud. Perhaps that’s more depressing than awkward, but it’s certainly not an unawkward way to spent part of one’s wedding day. (Thankfully, he didn’t let the old coot’s passing stop him and Willa from taking the plunge.) 

Awkwardness Level: 3 Roman Dick Pics At The Altar

4. Gerri Getting Pre-Fired By Roman

Remember the beginning of “Connor’s Wedding,” which felt downright blissful in comparison to everything churning around going into the end credits? Most of it seems quaint now, but new moments in Succession have felt as bug-crawlingly awkward as Roman dancing around dutifully giving Gerri a heads up about her seemingly imminent termination as post-scandal fallout. (Which scandal? Take your pick.) Especially since she was there with her beau, thus giving Roman an otherwise perfect scenario to rattle off all the hateful or perverted (or both) comments he could muster. And having that convo obviously didn’t sit right with him, to the point where there’s a digital recording of him calling Logan a cunt. Making it a stiffer gut punch is the fact that Logan’s death made his plans for Gerri moot, so whatever shared future they have will never be the same as what came before.

Awkwardness Level: 4 Roman Dick Pics Accidentally Sent To Dead Logan’s Phone

5. The Only Direct Shot Of Logan On The Plane

As mentioned above, I spent probably too much of the episode thinking Logan had Tom immorally call Kendall and Roman with a false report of his death, and it honestly wasn’t until director Mark Mylod’s single shot of Logan posthumously (for all intents and purposes) that I was able to truly buy into the reality that Brian Cox’s monolith was sincerely pushing up daisies thousands of feet in the air. Which admittedly left me feeling even more perturbed about it all, with an innate notion that I’d taken part in disrespecting the dead just so I could feel sated with “proof” that this monster had haunted his final victims. Which probably isn’t true, since there are still seven more episodes for him to fuck things up from beyond the grave.

Awkwardness Level: 3 Roman Dick Pics In A State Of Rigor Mortis

6. Poor Smiling And Traumatized Kerry

As elated as I was to witness Kerry’s hilariously terrible audition in Episode 402, I was equally empathetic after seeing how emotionally bamboozled she was just after Logan’s death. Her face wasn’t sure which facade to stick with, and while nothing about her relationship with the big boss was worthy of romance novels, Kerry was clearly as emotionally dashed as any of the Roy siblings, if not more so, since her love for him wasn’t a symptom of genetics. It was especially telling to see her erratic state of mind in direct comparison to the more hardened and future-focused Frank, Karl and Karolina. And while it was kind of them to treat her with the appropriate kid gloves, the judgmental reactions afterward — calling her “Chuckles the Clown” was pretty good, though — make it highly probable that Kerry won’t be asked to stick with the Waystar family going forward. Although if he ended up leaving part of his fortune to her in his will, that’d give viewers even more awkward moments for Zoë Winters’ character.

Awkwardness Level: 3 ½ Roman Dick Pics Digitally Altered To Look Like Logan’s

7. Kendall’s Explanation For Gaming The History Books Via Their Reactions

When dealing with each of my parents’ respective deaths, neither me nor my sister had to put much thought into what we felt beyond grief, since neither of us was born to one of the world’s richest and most powerful moguls. But the Roy kiddos aren’t so lucky, as it were, and everyone was still strapped into the emotional roller coaster when Kendall very logically addressed the fact that everything they do in the immediate aftermath of Logan’s death will be a matter of public record in some shape or form, whether it’s through impromptu press conferences in airports, paparazzi cameras, or the phones of curious passersby. Of all the discomforting truths to come out during the ep’s runtime, this was arguably the most awkward for inherently pointing out why loudly denying it and causing a scene would be the worst idea. I feel like Roman and Shiv hate it when Kendall is this right. 

Awkwardness Level: 2 ½ Roman Dick Pics In The Annals Of History

8. Roman’s Denial Taking Over

Truly, watching each reactionary trajectory taken by Kendall, Shiv and Roman was something to behold, with the former two bouncing between an emerging sense of mourning and the knowledge that there’s still a company to run when the dust settles. Meanwhile, Roman essentially backtracked from displeased understanding to rationality-eschewing denial, and didn’t hesitate to speak that belief loudly when others spoke of Logan in a way that was at all tethered to implications of his death. This may have actually been the most heartbreaking element of the entire episode, knowing that Roman may never lose the sense of potential guilt that his voicemail message may have played a part in sending Logan over the edge. That can probably be figured out from phone records and whatnot later on, but for now, Roman impractically arguing the logistics of needing an official doctor on the ground to declare Logan dead wasn’t easy to witness.

Awkwardness Level: 4 ½ Roman Dick Pics He Swears He Didn’t Send

9. Frank Needing To Step Around Logan’s Head To Reach The Cockpit

Dealing with the death of a loved one sucks, and so many of the above entries obviously embody several other descriptors besides “awkwardness.” But when Kendall ask-demanded to be put in contact with one of the plane’s pilots, Frank had to step carefully around Logan’s head while on his way to the cockpit, knowing full well that the pilot had bigger shit to deal with than an entitled millionaire’s grief-stricken demands. And in the scheme of things, having to avoid stepping on the face of a vindictive boss who is either dead or dying is pure awkwardness from one end to the next, though admittedly not as much as if Frank had accidentally tripped and landed ass-first on Logan’s face. So I guess we can all be thankful for that. 

Awkwardness Level: 5 Roman Dick Pics Airdropped To Everyone On The Flight

I never would have imagined Succession would have taken Logan out of the equation this early in the final season, but that obviously gives the next seven episodes a newly heightened sense of importance as the family legacy gets further explored and potentially resolved, with Nicholas Braun’s Greg hopefully coming out smelling like all the roses. (Even his fingers, that dirty dog.) 

Check out what Succession’s stars have said about this being the final season, and get ready to see the aftermath next Sunday night on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream simultaneously with an HBO Max subscription. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what other shows are popping up as we continue to wrap our heads around Logan Roy’s death.

A big round of TV cancellations is no doubt on the way ahead of broadcast finales in May, with many creative teams and acting ensembles unwittingly bound for disappointing news from network execs. Meanwhile, the small screen’s biggest awards magnet — HBO’s financial family warzone Succession — is now heading toward its own endgame with its fourth and final season, as show creator Jesse Armstrong revealed a month ahead of its premiere that the Roy family would be saying farewell after this ten-episode stretch. It was a gobsmacking announcement at the time, and that sting hasn’t entirely gone away even after the first episode aired. Of course, for all the feelings that fans have about Succession concluding, the actors themselves obviously also have a few thoughts.

And it should surprise no one that the stars behind some of television’s most outspoken and verbally dexterous characters have been vocal about the show coming to an end all of a sudden, since Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and the rest were all unaware of Armstrong’s plans until a wrap on production was nigh. Let’s take a look at how Succession’s various cast members have reacted to Season 4 being the final batch of episodes, starting with the aforementioned Australian actress. 

Having portrayed the equally complicated and captivating role of Shiv Roy for 39 episodes, Sarah Snook has various awards to show for her efforts, as well as a no doubt sizable feeling of pride. Speaking with the L.A. Times, Snook confirmed that the cast weren't officially told about the ending decision until the table read for the finale that took place in January. The way that played out had an impact on her immediate reaction, but she says she understood later why things were handled as they were. In her words:

By all means, even after creator Jesse Armstrong went public with the idea that Succession would be capping its run at four seasons, it still took a few beats for that to sink in with the fanbase. But Snook will certainly be busy as ever in the coming months, as she revealed during the premiere's red carpet event that she and husband Dave Lawson are expecting their first child. It's interesting to think about how the actress' pregnancy could have factored into one of several potential Season 5 storylines, but it's best not to go too far down that rabbit hole. 

Jeremy Strong

Jeremy Strong knows a thing or two about going down metaphorical rabbit holes, with his purposefully distanced method-acting approach to the role of Kendall Roy (and an interview detailing such things) earning a massive amount of attention and judgment from both fans and co-stars. With his final year as the addiction-hindered middle son behind him, the Emmy-winning actor has said that leaving the role will be akin to a death, but told Newsweek that he's at the same time relieved to be done with the emotionally slammed role. 

Considering how relatively rarely Kendall Roy gets to fully exist in happy moments — his "L to the O.G." rap being a fabba-dabba example — it's entirely understandable why Jeremy Strong would feel a sense of gratitude to leave behind a character who hits new moral lows as quickly as he hits joints. 

Kieran Culkin

Having made an art out of appearing to misunderstand how chairs work, Kieran Culkin's Roman Roy has come a long way since the show's start, even if his penchant for speaking his perverse mind way too often remains as concrete as ever. And it's perhaps not a surprise that Culkin himself slipped an F-bomb into his thoughts on saying goodbye to Succession, even if it was just to say those thoughts maybe haven't been fully constructed yet. Here's how he put it in an interview with Esquire:

Even though I have my suspicions about Roman's doomed fate in Season 4, I know I wouldn't be alone in celebrating the idea of a spinoff centered on his brainy and twisted businessman in some way. And if the actor is feeling all the stages of grief, as opposed to Strong's relief, then maybe he'd be down with such a plan as well. Maybe even with Alan Ruck's Connor in the White Hou...in a White Castle restaurant.

Brian Cox

Of all the Succession stars who share things in common with their characters, it's hard to deny the similarities between Logan Roy yelling at someone and portrayer Brian Cox yelling at someone. The Scottish actor is not one known for spending a lot of time in recent years mired in small talk, and he similarly favored brevity when reacting to the show ending on Season 4 rather than sticking with HBO for one or more after this year. Speaking with Variety, Cox credited Jesse Armstrong's UK-ness for ending the series before it could sour, saying: 

In case anyone wonders, he likely won't have to formally "miss" the act of saying Logan Roy's signature line — "Fuck off!" — as he revealed that fans are known to approach with requests for him to yell the line at them, which he's quite happy to do.  So I'd imagine he'll be dealing with that for quite a few years to come.

Alan Ruck and Justine Lupe

Weird and depressing as it may be to consider, Alan Ruck's Connor and Justine Lupe's Willa possibly have the healthiest relationship of any two characters in Succession, despite its myriad red flags. It sort of stands apart from the rest of the characters' stories, even when being woven into the core narrative. Similar to their characters, Ruck's big-picture response to the show's imminent ending (shared with Empire) was in contrast with Lupe's more emotionally driven reaction to learning the news (from an interview with The Independent)

• Alan Ruck: The truth is, we’ve all known on the show since June. And I think it’s the right time to end it in terms of the struggle to see who’s going to take command of this empire. A fifth season would have been drawn out, and if it just faded away, that would have been a disgrace.
• Justine Lupe: I’m a crier anyway. And it was just, like, waves and waves of grief. I remember at one point looking around and just sobbing and just being like, this is a nightmare, everyone’s just watching me just lose it to this level of hyperventilation-kind-of-crying. Whatever, it’s just an indication of how much I care.

As far as that "June" reference goes, it's presumed that Alan Ruck is talking about when the idea was first floated that Season 4 might be the end. Given his take on Season 5 being a possible disgrace, I'd say he wasn't holding out with baited breath for Armstrong to change course and declare his intention to write five more seasons.  Meanwhile, Justine Lupe likely has lots of thoughts about saying goodbye to the HBO hit, but many of them would likely be stained with sobbed-out tears.

Nicholas Braun and Matthew MacFadyen

I would no doubt love to see many more seasons focusing on the so-called Disgusting Brothers, with Nicholas Braun's Cousin Greg heading things up alongside Matthew MacFadyen's possibly single Tom, Season 4 will probably make things to complicated for that to be a feasible reality. And a similarly complex feeling was spoken of by both of the actors when reflecting on this being the end. Braun spoke with THR, while MacFadyen talked to The Wire, saying:

• Nicholas Braun: We're all pretty bummed. I was sad as hell [on] my last day. I finished a couple of weeks ago, and it was a really tough day, you know, saying goodbye to everybody. It's been the greatest working experience in my life. So, saying goodbye to those people is really tough.
• Matthew MacFadyen: It was a really lovely bunch of actors. It’s a weird thing, the grief when you finish a job. It’s sort of awful and heartbreaking, but at the same time, there’s a slight relief — a complicated mélange of feelings.

I couldn't love Braun more for saying this was the best gig of his life, considering Greg has dealt with as many uncomfortable situations as any character in the show, despite not outwardly causing very many of them. It's good to know he had such a good time being Tom's target for all these years, since that might have created some issues behind the scenes at some point, probably around the time of "Boar on the Floor" rearing its furry, controversial head. 

Enjoy all the time we have left with Succession, which airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

While Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a widely loved superhero franchise, there are still plenty who pine for superhero flicks of old like Fox’s X-Men saga. The long-running film series had its ups and downs but is regarded as being instrumental in helping to kick off the modern comic book movie craze. Though the features are a lot of fun, the stars themselves have since revealed that working conditions weren’t always easy. Many have attributed this to Bryan Singer, who helmed four installments. Much has been said about how he allegedly operated on set, and we’re going to discuss comments from the cast. 

Franchise OGs Halle Berry And Hugh Jackman Have Been Honest About Working With Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer’s work in the superhero genre began with X-Men, which dominated the box office in 2000 and was met with considerable praise. Based on the quality of the production, one might think that the set was harmonious, though Halle Berry has since claimed that she and Singer had fights amid production. Berry once detailed just how serious their behind-the-scenes confrontations would get: 

It should be pointed out that the Oscar winner didn’t specify the productions on which they had their disagreements. Though what she did say is that the flair-ups were partially initiated by “because of whatever he’s struggling with.” Based on what’s been said about Bryan Singer (who previously sued for alleged rape), he’s been known to disappear from set from time to time. Berry even mentioned that he didn’t always seem “present” when he was around. Considering the stories that have circulated in the past several years, one can’t help but wonder how the stars now feel about the legacy of the films. Hugh Jackman was asked whether Singer’s reputation taints them and provided a diplomatic answer: 

It’s hard not to empathize with Hugh Jackman – and his colleagues as well – as they produced some beloved films that clearly left a dent in pop culture. It’s easy to understand why the Australian actor would be somewhat conflicted when reconciling his pride over the work and his feelings on the director. Though some of the actors who worked on the later movies provided answers that were a bit more clean-cut.

Additional Comments Have Been Made By Sophie Turner And Olivia Munn

The two prequel films that Bryan Singer directed, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, brought in an array of new faces. One of those actors is Olivia Munn, who portrayed Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke in the latter film. It was her first major studio movie and, as Munn explained, she had her share of struggles with Singer while making it:

The actress further claimed that he’d send texts to the actors, in which he’d tell them that he was busy but that they should continue filming without him. While making those comments she also mentioned Fox’s eventual decision to hire him as the director of Bohemian Rhapsody, which he was later fired from. In that case, he reportedly clashed with lead actor Rami Malek, and Jean Grey actress Sophie Turner cited Malek when discussing her experience with the director on X-Men: Apocalypse:

The various comments that have been documented so far indicate that the stars’ time working with Bryan Singer was less than favorable. Singer was even called out by Jennifer Lawrence, who played Mystique in the prequel films, when she discussed the “emotional men'' she'd work with on film sets. Amid all of these sentiments, another X-Men alum provided a different kind of outlook more recently.

Brian Cox Recalled Working With Bryan Singer On X2

X2 is still revered as one of the franchise’s best installments, and one of the reasons for that is Brian Cox’s pitch-perfect performance as the villainous William Stryker. Cox was recently asked about what it was like working with the Usual Suspects director and, while speaking with Yahoo! Entertainment, he mentioned that the filmmaker was “under a lot of strain” during production. He also shed some light on his creative process: 

Despite everything that’s transpired with Bryan Singer over the years, few would deny that he’s produced some memorable films, X-Men-related or otherwise. Singer hasn’t been credited as the director of a movie since 2018 and, after the allegations and array of comments from actors, one can only speculate as to whether he’ll ever helm another motion picture.

The X-Men movies (which we’ve sorted chronologically) can be streamed using a Disney+ subscription. As you wait for news on the upcoming MCU reboot, read up on other upcoming Marvel movies.

For a few years now, much of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies has looked at Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling differently since she made controversial comments about transgender people. Rowling’s viewpoints have led many people associated with her to speak out against her trans rhetoric, including Daniel Radcliffe’s previous comments and many other Harry Potter cast members, most recently with Dudley actor Harry Melling adding his two cents. However, Succession actor Brian Cox is doubling down on defending the author. 

Cox previously shared in May 2022 that he found the backlash J.K. Rowling received from the public to be “deeply unjust.” The Succession star more recently spoke to why he thinks people are being too hard on the bestselling author again, saying this on BBC: 

While Brian Cox was a guest on the British channel’s new show Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, the news anchor asked the actor what he makes of the way J.K. Rowling “has been treated” as of late. The discussion was being had following Cox’s home country of Scotland passing the Gender Recognition Reform bill, which will allow the transgender community to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) without the need for a medical diagnosis. Additionally, the bill would allow 16 and 17 year olds to apply for GRCs for the first time. Cox said he's "very proud" of Scotland for passing the law but also thinks people like Rowling should be allowed to give their opinions.

Rowling’s early comments on gender and sex began in June 2020, when she took issue with an article referring to “people who menstrate,” which sought to be inclusive to the transgender community not using the word “women" instead. Rowling went on to further explain her viewpoints on the topic in a Twitter thread before writing a lengthy post on her website explaining her viewpoint that brought upon plenty of backlash from the LGBTQ+ community. 

There have been other actors who have come to Rowling’s defense aside from Brian Cox. Ralph Fiennes, who memorably played Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, called the verbal abuse directed at her in recent years “disgusting” and “appalling.” Helena Bonham Carter, who played Bellatrix Lestrange in the movies, has also spoken out about the subject, saying she believes the whole thing has been taken “to the extreme” and that Rowling should “have her opinions.” 

Brian Cox famously plays Logan Roy on Succession, a billionaire founder of a media and entertainment company in the award-winning series. Cox will soon reprise his role in the upcoming Season 4 of Succession, which is set to premiere on HBO this spring. You can watch the Harry Potter movies and catch up with Succession with an HBO Max subscription. As far as more Wizarding World movies, there’s nothing for sure in the works right at the moment, but we’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend. 

Between the Extraction franchise and budding universe for The Gray Man, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have their hands full with plenty of Netflix productions. And their work with the entertainment company is far from done. The sibling filmmaking duo has already lined up another movie with the streamer in the form of upcoming movie The Electric State. This is primed to be a high-profile motion picture and, unsurprisingly, an all-star cast that includes Hollywood heavy-hitters like Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt has been assembled.

The Electric State was announced by the Russo Brothers back in 2017 and is based on Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. The book was adapted for the screen by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who worked with the directors on Marvel films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.

The movie is set during the 1990s of an alternate United States, in which a civil war has broken out between humans and robots. It tells the story of a young woman who receives a robot from her brother and, ultimately, the heroine and her machine embark on a journey to find her sibling. An eclectic assortment of actors are helping to bring this story to life and, for your convenience, we’ve listed them here.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown is set to play the lead character, Michelle, who’ll face dangers in an attempt to find her brother. Though she's not quite 21 yet, the fan-favorite star has been acting for nearly a decade now. However, she truly broke through in 2016 through her Emmy-nominated role as Eleven in Netflix’s highly popular sci-fi series Stranger Things. She’s since parlayed that notoriety into a budding film career and has already starred in the MonsterVerse movies Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. Brown also serves as the stars in and produces the Enola Holmes film franchise, in which she plays the titular fourth wall-breaking sleuth. She's also in the fantasy flick Damsel. One would expect the star to bring her signature wit and charm to this latest role.

Chris Pratt

Playing the role of Keats is Chris Pratt. The character is described as a smuggler that Michelle meets during her travels. Many fans likely still recognize Pratt for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, and others may even remember him for his role on Everwood. He’s come a long way since then, though. In the early days of his film career, the star took on supporting roles in films like Wanted, Zero Dark Thirty and Her. It was in 2013, however, that he emerged as a leading man, thanks to his role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. From there, he’s starred in the Jurassic World franchise, The Lego Movie and its sequel, The Magnificent Seven and The Tomorrow War, just to name a few. He also voiced Nintendo's beloved, mustachioed plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and voices the lead role in The Garfield Movie.

Giancarlo Esposito

Any film or TV production would be lucky to have Giancarlo Esposito as a member of its cast. It would probably surprise no one to hear that the actor is set to voice a villainous drone known as Marshall. To say that Esposito has played a plethora of characters in his time would be an understatement. The seasoned performer is famous for his roles in classic Spike Lee films like School Daze and Do the Right Thing and also gained recognition for his roles in The Usual Suspects, Waiting to Exhale, Ali and much more. But his most famous character, however, is arguably drug kingpin Gustavo “Gus” Fring, who he played on Breaking Bad and its spinoff prequel series, Better Call Saul. Right now, Esposito also starred (as villainous characters) on Star Wars series The Mandalorian and superhero show The Boys.

Anthony Mackie

For this cinematic endeavor, Joe and Anthony Russo will be reteaming with Anthony Mackie, who they worked with on the Captain America and Avengers films. The actor has been tapped to voice a sentient robot, who’s described as an ally to Chris Pratt’s character. Mackie has been a Hollywood actor for quite some time, as he made his acting debut as “Papa Doc” in the 2002 drama film 8 Mile. The A-lister has also starred in acclaimed films like Half Nelson, Million Dollar Baby and The Hurt Locker. In 2014, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the role of Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who took on the mantle of Captain America in 2021’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Mackie will reprise that role in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World. On the small screen, he's also the lead of the Twisted Metal series.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton has collaborated with the Russos before, as he starred in The Gray Man. In that film, he played a veteran CIA agent and, for this upcoming sci-fi production, he’ll voice a key figure in the civil war, who just happens to be a robot. Thornton, like many of his co-stars, has a resume that speaks for itself. His body of work includes Sling Blade (which won him an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay), One False Move and Armageddon. Of course, who could forget his turns in Friday Night Lights, The Alamo and Monster’s Ball. He’s an elder statesman within this ensemble and can certainly bring a level of gravitas.

Stanley Tucci

Speaking over capable veterans, Stanley Tucci also stars in the movie, and his role has yet to be revealed. The always-delightful actor has an extensive filmography that’s stuffed to the brim with notable big-screen productions. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, the actor appeared in Prizzi’s Honor, A Midsummer’s Night Dream among other films. And by the 2000s, Tucci landed roles in Road to Perdition, The Terminal, The Devil Wears Prada and The Lovely Bones, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The viral sex symbol’s visibility has expanded into blockbuster fare over the past decade, such as Captain America: The First Avenger, the Hunger Games franchise and some Transformers films. Though he hasn’t forgotten his dramatic or comedic roots as evidenced by Easy A, Burlesque and Spotlight. He's also starred on the Russo brother-produced Amazon show Citadel, which called upon him to perform a brutal scene.

Ke Huy Quan

Fresh off his Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy Quan is joining the Russos for their next cinematic outing. Quan is said to be playing a doctor that Millie Bobby Brown’s character must locate. And interestingly enough, the actor replaced Michelle Yeoh, his co-star from the aforementioned movie, in the role, as she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Quan is widely loved by so many, who remember him for his iconic roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. Though he’d star in a few movies like Breathing Fire and Encino Man in the years that immediately followed, Quan was forced to step away from acting due to a lack of opportunities. After spending years as a successful stunt choreographer, he began to act again a couple of years ago, starting with Finding ʻOhana. As mentioned, he gave a strong turn in Daniels' multidimensional dramedy and played a role in Disney+’s American Born Chinese, and Quan is also starred in Loki Season 2 and has the action film With Love.

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate makes for another strong addition to this cast. The star will reportedly lend her voice to a CGI character, who I’d wager is a robot of sorts. Slate is a student of comedy, who possesses a strong improv background, and that arguably helped her land a spot in Saturday Night Live’s Season 35 cast. After working on the show for one season, she went on to star in other high-profile shows, from Parks and Recreation and Kroll Show to House of Lies and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She’s also been featured in Gifted, Venom, I Want You Back and other movies. Slate has a particularly strong reputation in the realm of voice acting through Bob’s Burgers, Big Mouth, Zootopia, The Lego Batman Movie, and so much more. She absolutely broke viewers’ hearts in 2022 with her performance as the titular character in Marcel the Shell with Shoes On and will lend her voice to The Ark and the Aardvark.

Jason Alexander

Another intriguing pick-up for the film is veteran actor and comedian Jason Alexander, who’s been cast in an undisclosed role. A widely beloved star, Alexander began his career as a stage performer before making the jump to TV. It was in that medium that he’d find his signature role, that of the bumbling, but well-meaning, George Costanza on Seinfeld. Alexander has appeared on countless shows in the years since the hit NBC sitcom ended. Curb Your Enthusiasm, Star Trek: Voyager, Two and a Half Men and The Orville are just a few of his credits. In terms of film, he’s held roles in flicks like Pretty Woman, Coneheads and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Woody Norman

Amid the flurry of Hollywood veterans, Electric State will also showcase some up-and-coming talent in the form of Woody Norman. The 13-year-old English actor is set to play the younger brother of Millie Bobby Brown’s character. Though he hasn’t been in the industry as long as his peers, Norman does have some respectable credentials. When it comes to TV, he’s appeared on Starz's The White Princess and the BBC’s Poldark along with a few other programs. He truly broke out in 2021 as a result of his role in the Joaquin Phoenix-led drama C’mon C’mon. He also played a supporting role in the 2023 horror flick The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Norman’s going to need to bring it for the Russos’ sci-fi film, as his character is definitely crucial to the plot.

 Martin Klebba 

Like many of his co-stars, Martin Klebb has certainly been around the block in Hollywood. He’s done stunt work on a myriad of films from Van Helsing and Evan Almighty to Zombieland and Hancock. He even served as a mo-cap performer on 2015’s Jurassic World. However, moviegoers probably know him best for playing Marty in four of the five Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He’s not done with the House of Mouse, either, as he’s also set to appear as Grumpy in the upcoming Snow White film. While his role in the Russos’ sci-fi film is currently unknown, I have no doubt Klebb will put in a solid effort as per usual.

Brian Cox

So why don’t we end this list with one more veteran: Brian Cox. The name by itself is pretty intimidating. Reports point to the celebrated actor, like some of his co-stars, is said to be voicing a CGI character. Where to even begin with Cox’s career? He’s an acclaimed stage veteran, who was praised for his turn in King Lear. His filmography spans various genres and includes movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, Rushmore, X-Men 2, Zodiac, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Churchill. (Hold up, I need to catch my breath.) More recently, he’s captivated audiences through his Emmy-nominated performance as the cold and calculating Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession. Given his body of work, I could see Cox playing a villain in the Russos’ film, but that may not end up being the case. Whatever the case, let’s hope it’s a role he can sink his teeth into.

The Electric State debuts on March 14 amid the 2025 movie schedule and, if you're aiming to check it out, be sure you have an active Netflix subscription.

Ever since the New Yorker profile on Jeremy Strong was released, many have been critical of the actor’s immersive acting style. This includes his Succession co-star Brian Cox. Strong plays Kendall Roy on the HBO hit series, while Cox plays his father Logan Roy. With Strong’s new movie Armageddon Time on the way, his acting methods have come back into the spotlight, and Cox has some thoughts on the manner.

The profile from THR discusses Strong’s acting, noting that he is aware of “his reputation of artistic zealotry.” It then addresses Cox’s open opposition toward Strong’s methods. Cox said at the Toronto Film Festival: 

 The journalist asked Strong if acting was his religion, to which he said:  

The actor behind Kendall Roy is super serious about acting. In the New Yorker profile, he explained that he takes his character as seriously as his own life. While many have scrutinized his method, he has also been praised for his acting, especially on Succession. He was part of the Emmy winners in 2020 and was nominated this year again (it's worth noting Cox has also been nominated both years too). 

Strong has been open about how the New Yorker profile felt like a “betrayal.” While people like Jessica Chastain and Aaron Sorkin did stand up for Strong, Cox is not. In the initial profile that started this whole conversation, Cox was a source and he explained that Strong’s “total immersion” into his roles worries him.  He was later on Late Night With Seth Meyers and while he complimented Strong as a person, when it came to his acting Cox worried about how obsessed Strong gets with his work. 

Cox is not afraid to speak his mind, and he tends to not hold back his opinions. For example, he called Johnny Depp “overrated” and “overblown,” specifically referencing Depp’s performance as Jack Sparrow. He then walked back these comments, saying while he does think sometimes he’s “overblown” he’s also done “some considerable work.”   

Much like Logan Roy, Cox does not seem afraid to speak his mind, even if it’s a tad hurtful. Even though Cox seems to have called out Strong at TIFF, he has also made it clear he thinks his on-screen son is a very good actor. 

Succession is currently not on the air, but it has been renewed for Season 4, we just don’t know the release date. While we wait to see the Roys return, you can watch the first three seasons of Succession with an HBO Max subscription. 

Following their time making two Captain America movies and two Avengers movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have hanging the streaming realm. In early 2021, they delivered the Tom Holland-led Apple TV+ movie Cherry to the public, and last month brought the release of their Netflix movie The Gray Man, which starred Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Now the Russo Brothers are turning their attention to fellow Netflix offering The Electric State, which stars Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown and Infinity War and Endgame vet Chris Pratt. With production set to begin on in the coming weeks, more top-notch stars have been added to the sci-fi flick.

Word’s come in that Michelle Yeoh, Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, Brian Cox and Jenny Slate are joining Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State’s cast. While none of these actors’ characters were identified in Deadline’s report, the outlet mentioned that Cox and Slate will voice CGI characters in the movie. Just like with the Russo Bros’ four Marvel movies and The Gray Man, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wrote The Electric State’s screenplay. The Russos will produce the movie through their AGBO production banner with Mike Larocca, and Chris Castaldi and Patrick Newall are also attached as producers.

This is definitely an impressive lineup of talent that’s been brought into The Electric State. Michelle Yeoh has drawn acclaim over the last several months for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and her other sci-fi/genre work thanks to credits like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Star Trek: Discovery. Stanley Tucci also has experience in this line of work from the Hunger Games movies, a couple Transformers movies and Captain America: The First Avenger, while Succession’s Brian Cox is obviously well known from his time as William Stryker in X2: X-Men United. Jenny Slate also appeared with Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once and scored genre cred from Venom, while Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander has recently been heard as Sy Borgman in the Harley Quinn animated series and will soon be taking part in Star Trek: Prodigy as the voice of Doctor Noum.

We could spend all day talking about these five actors’ other credits, but suffice it to say that The Electric State isn’t holding back with drawing in talented performers. Based off the same-named illustrated novel by Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State is set in a retro-futuristic past and follows an orphaned teenager, played by Millie Bobby Brown, traveling across the American West to find her younger brother. Along the way, she’s joined by an an eccentric drifter and a mysterious robot; I imagine Chris Pratt is playing the former role, leaving the latter role to be filled by either Brian Cox or Jenny Slate. While The Electric State was being lined up at Universal Pictures when it was announced in December 2020, the film adaptation was officially set up at Netflix towards the end of June 2022.

It’ll be a while before The Electric State makes its way to the Netflix library, but we’ll continue passing along casting updates and other information about the production. Scan through our 2022 Netflix movie schedule to learn what cinematic entertainment the streaming service is delivering for the rest of the year.

If Brian Cox’s time on Succession doesn’t give the actor a ruthless enough image already, the 75-year-old actor recently took shots at an actor still near and dear to many people: Johnny Depp. During a recent interview, the award-winning actor called Depp “so overblown” and “so overrated,” as well as called out a couple of his most famous roles, including Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. Following the quotes going viral, Cox is walking back on his comments. 

Brian Cox, who recently put out a memoir about his life called Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, discussed his comments about Johnny Depp with Yahoo. In his words: 

Following some scathingly honest remarks to GQ where Brian Cox also stated that Johnny Depp didn’t “do anything” with his role in Edward Scissorhands, along with claiming he’s done “even less” in his career following the 1990 Tim Burton film. Now, though, Cox is changing his tone. He felt that Depp’s "vociferous" fans mistook his words as disrespect, which he did not intend toward the actor. 

Brian Cox instead said his reservations against Johnny Depp are “absolutely minimal,” and even if his career may be overrated by his taste, he also believes Depp has done some “considerable work” that has been “extraordinarily good.” Cox also pointed out that he thinks it’s “great” that the actor has such loyalty from his fans. 

Brain Cox started talking about Johnny Depp in the first place during the interview when it was touched on that the Succession actor turned down the role of the Governor in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, which went to The Two Popes Oscar-nominee Jonathan Pryce instead. Cox shared that he’d worked with the director, Gore Verbinski, on The Ring prior to being offered Pirates, and admitted it would have been a “money-spinner,” but called it a “thankless” role that would have kept him from other work for years to come. 

During the interview, Brain Cox also got candid about turning down the role of Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones and being up for another high profile role in the Harry Potter franchise, which, by his estimation, was Brendan Gleeson’s role of Mad-Eye Moody. But even without these big franchise films, the actor has maintained his status in Hollywood, and steadily made films since getting his start in the ‘60s. 

Brian Cox, of course, stars in one of the most popular and acclaimed TV shows on right now with Succession, where he plays Logan Roy. The actor is also shooting a political thriller called The Independent, which is expected to come out later this year. 

Veteran character actor Brian Cox appears to be the kind of man who doesn’t mince words. Which should make his upcoming memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, an enjoyable read. As excerpts from the book begin to make the rounds ahead of its publication, we are starting to learn about coveted roles Cox turned down over the course of his Hollywood career, and one of them would have put him opposite the “so overrated” Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. 

Opening up about his career in the excerpt published by GQ, Brian Cox says he was up for the role of Governor Swann in Disney’s blockbuster franchise, but went on to say:

Part of me understands why Brian Cox felt this way about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise when it was offered to him. At that time, the movie was only known as “being based on a theme park ride,” and Cox likely didn’t know how much acting would be allowed by the series. But if you ask franchise veterans Geoffrey Rush and Bill Nighy, they’d probably tell you that they chewed more scenery than normal as director Gore Verbinski gave the cast members plenty of rope. 

As for Johnny Depp, he did earn an Oscar nomination for playing Capt. Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, but his previous film roles didn’t impress Cox much. The actor writes in his memoir:

Zing! Brian Cox is riding a wave of critical goodwill lately thanks to his portrayal of Logan Roy in the popular HBO Max series Succession. He earned an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for that part back in 2020, and the consensus on the series is that it keeps getting better, led in part by Cox’s performance. Johnny Depp isn’t enjoying the same levels of success. His off-screen allegations seem to have stopped his acting opportunities in their tracks, and he was even removed him from the Fantastic Beasts franchise (he was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen) in recent years.

Personally, I’m glad Brian Cox didn’t sign up for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. It could have interfered with his contributions to the Bourne series, Deadwood, and his stellar turn in David Fincher’s serial-killer masterpiece, Zodiac. Give me all of those, instead.

There are few things everyone can agree on, but there are some things in Hollywood that the vast majority of people have a common respect for: one being Quentin Tarantino films and another being the many iconic roles of Johnny Depp. Well, Hollywood staple and iconic bad guy Brain Cox is about to make a lot of people unhappy with his unpopular opinions, because he just gave some major critiques to these two longtime beloved figures and more in his new autobiography Putting the Rabbit in the Hat. 

Brian Cox goes hard on the criticism in his new book Putting the Rabbit in the Hat (via BigIssue), and has some major unpopular opinions that he unapologetically makes known. He cuts down one of Johnny Depp’s most iconic (although let’s be real, there are almost too many to count) performances by saying he really didn’t need to do much at all as Edward Scissorhands. Here’s what Cox says, word for word:

That’s rough, but at least he doesn’t try to knock him personally or anything. Johnny Depp sure has a huge following and has had a tremendous career in Hollywood that dates back to the ‘80s. It seems that he hasn’t made a fan out of Brian Cox, who has had his own very successful Hollywood career. Cox’s resume goes all the way back to the ‘60s and his is an opinion that carries weight, even if it is one that a lot of people would be horrified at. 

Brian Cox doesn’t stop at Johnny Depp, though, and he goes in on director Quentin Tarantino too, whose films are pretty much renowned as instant cult classics. This may be blasphemy for some die hard Tarantino fans, but Cox said he actually walked out of Pulp Fiction. Here’s what the Succession star said, exactly:

Even though he actually turned down Game of Thrones, Brian Cox saying he’d still work on a Quentin Tarantino film is probably just a money move, as his films are pretty much always successful, and actors love working with him. Tarantino may be down for the brutal honesty, but making digs at his films might not be the way to get the phone to ring after all. 

It’s not all hate coming from Brain Cox, though, because he does give some serious love to other people in the business. In his autobiography, he throws some real compliments toward Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Rickman. The three are known for being talented gentlemen, and Cox pretty much confirms it for himself as well. 

Putting the Rabbit in the Hat is available to buy and read now, although you may be in for some internal disagreements if you pick up a copy. Brian Cox also has a number of big projects in the works, and you can catch him in Season 3 of HBO’s series Succession which is currently dropping new episodes every Sunday at 9pm Eastern. 

The Simpsons has long made headlines and punchlines for its prophetic nature, whether it's about Pulitzer Prizes, presidential elections, Super Bowl winners, or most other things. But even after 32 years on the air, Fox's animated mainstay still has a few tricks up its un-changing sleeves. For instance, Season 33 will kick off with a musical episode, with Frozen vet Kristen Bell stepping in as Marge's singing voice. But amidst everything we can expect to see, I'm most excited about Justified vet Timothy Olyphant making his big Simpsons debut for an intriguing new narrative approach.

For The Simpsons' Comic-Con@Home panel this year, star Yeardley Smith talked with a group of writers and executive producers about what fans can expect to see next season, and the video presentation opened up with a spoof-driven advertisement for the streaming service "Simpflix." Seemingly in connection with that opening, writer and producer Matt Selman revealed a new kind of episode is on the way that will pay homage to a specific corner of the TV-verse, complete with Timothy Olyphant. Here's how he put it in a stammering manner:

It seems like Matt Selman was a bit hesitant to divulge too many details, so we don't have that much to go on. But the details that do exist are exciting as all hell. Some of The Simpsons' most memorable episodes are the ones that draw from super-specific inspirations, whether it be specific movies, TV shows, historical events, etc. And for the idea to be spread across two different episodes is nearly unprecedented in this animated universe. "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" is arguably the biggest and best example of this, with recent years also delivering two-parters with "Warrin' Priests" and "The Great Phatsby."

But the episodes that Matt Selman is teasing sound like they might adhere to the compilation idea that led to "22 Short Films About Springfield" becomes such a classic. Perhaps fans will get to see Timothy Olyphant reprising the role of Raylan Givens for a Justified spoof - we'll definitely know the deal if Walton Goggins is also added to the cast - or maybe there will be references to Olyphant's relatively recent introduction to the Star Wars universe via The Mandalorian. The latter is probably most likely, considering all the Disney synergy, but still.

I'm hoping to see Itchy and Scratchy respectively playing a fed and killer in The Simpsons' take on Netflix's Mindhunter, or Cristin Milioti leading Marge, Luann Van Houten and more Springfield moms for a Why Women Kill spoof. The options are relatively endless, and if Timothy Olyphant is central to each and every idea, we'll just have to live with that.

Be sure to keep track of all the 2021 Fall TV shows coming soon while waiting on more details about what to expect from The Simpsons Season 33, which will debut on Fox on Sunday, September 26, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

SPOILERS ahead from the Succession Season 2 finale on HBO.

Has Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) finally become the kind of "killer" worthy of inheriting Logan Roy's (Brian Cox) empire? The October 13 Succession Season 2 finale on HBO showed Kendall taking back control of his life and embracing his status as "the face" of Waystar Royco through the cruise scandal.

Ken threw his father under-the-bus in a press conference where he was supposed to -- per Logan -- agree to say he knew everything and directed the cover-up but it went no higher. Logan has been known to rage when things don't go his way, but he sat calmly through the press conference and, when it ended, gave an enigmatic little smile. Brian Cox, you beautiful tease, what exactly were you saying there?

After the Season 2 finale, Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong confirmed to THR that Logan's little smile at the end was scripted, not a personal choice from actor Brian Cox, so it is tied to Armstrong's story arc for Logan/Kendall:

Brian Cox told Vulture "there was a certain inevitability" to the Season 2 finale. He also confirmed that the little smile in the end was meant to be a moment of pride:

I don't think Logan Roy was in on that press conference twist -- as in, I don't think he and Kendall planned it together -- but do you think Logan had an idea of what was coming? I'm torn on that. I don't know that Logan deserves that much credit as puppet master. I do know he respected the hell out of Ken's power move, though, as that little smile showed.

Kendall found the killer within. That might've been Kendall's best pitch to take over the company. It could've only been improved if Ken looked right into the camera and said "Fuck off." Logan would definitely respect that.

All season, guilt-stricken Kendall did things "because my dad told me to," in a dramatic shift from Season 1. But as Siobhan Roy (Sarah Snook) told Kendall at the start of Season 2...

In Succession's 2019 season finale, Ken went for the jugular. I'm curious to know exactly when he made that decision.

Was it during the Season 2 finale's group discussion on the yacht, where everyone took turns throwing different names out for consideration as the big "blood sacrifice"? (I love that Roman stood up for Gerri, and was sad but not surprised to see Shiv do nothing to help Tom.)

Was it when Logan pressured Kendall to have his girlfriend/support system Naomi Pierce leave the yacht? Was it only when he had that ultimate conversation with his dad, which Kendall made very easy for Logan by repeating "It's OK"?

I wonder if he was already thinking of it when Logan brought up how convincing Kendall could be in front of a camera:

After that, Kendall agreed to say he knew about the scandal (we saw in Season 1 that he went out of his way to keep out of it) and directed the cover-up but it went no higher.

Kendall then asked "just out of interest," did Logan ever think he could do the top job. Logan had a passive-aggressive answer that really gave us a major hint on what was to come:

Was that enough? Maybe Kendall didn't even know what he would do until Logan really put the nail on the morality coffin. Kendall said maybe he deserved being the blood sacrifice as penance for the boy -- referencing the Season 1 finale, where he caused a car crash that accidentally killed an employee. Logan said no, no no.

After that, Kendall gave Logan that kiss on the cheek. Perhaps a Judas kiss. I wonder if it was in that moment that Ken knew what he would do. Then the family had a last supper, with Kendall as either Jesus or Judas.

For all Kendall's personal failings, drug addition, brief turn to shoplifting, and lousy treatment of the women in his life who failed to please Dad, he has been shown to have a decent moral compass for the big picture.

Cousin Greg came with Kendall on the plane back for the press conference, which was probably another hint of what was to come. He had documents with him, and Ken said they would show Logan's signature on all of the payments and part of the cover-up. Greg gets flustered at everything, but he seemed calm through Kendall's press conference, so it seems like at some point he and Ken had a conversation about this.

Greg the motherfucking Egg. That little Machiavellian fuck. He always knows how to land on the right side. He may indeed end up ruling everything by the end of the series.

PR head Karolina was clearly not in on the final minutes twist, based on her "fuck, fuck, fuck" refrain after Kendall's ripped-up-speech press conference. Fans had to know a big twist was coming at the press conference, since it was left as the final scene of the season.

Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) is now full Chief Operating Officer on his own. He and Shiv were clearly shocked by what Kendall did. Logan looked more proud than angry or surprised, but Succession Season 3 is now poised for another round of Kendall vs. Logan, but also Ken vs. the rest of the company and family too.

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong said on HBO after the episode that Logan thought Kendall was a good candidate for the blood sacrifice in part because he trusted him not to flip, and not do exactly what he did. Armstrong said they knew pretty early on the shape of the season, from where Kendall begins as a beaten dog and ends up doing what he did.

Jesse Armstrong noted that the Roys have a shareholder meeting in a couple of weeks, and that press conference is only going to make things more complicated. Then again, the shareholders wanted Logan himself as the blood sacrifice, and Ken just served him up on a plate.

Succession Season 1 was so much about Kendall, and Season 2 really gave a great focus to Shiv. Many fans figured Season 3 would turn a major focus to Roman, and maybe that's still the case, but Season 2 ended with Kendall refusing to yield the spotlight. However, his father certainly has cards to play against him, starting with the truth about Ken's drug-addled lethal crash. I'm expecting all of the dirty laundry to get out in the next season, which has already been renewed on HBO.

I'm also hoping for more awkwardly wonderful scenes of Tom finally finding the balls to stand up to Logan too:

What is it with HBO and random chicken scenes? First Game of Thrones, and now this.

Succession Season 3 doesn't have a premiere date yet, but Season 1 had 10 episodes starting in summer 2018 and Season 2 gave us 10 episodes starting in summer 2019, so I'm happy to keep that same training rolling into 2020. Whenever it arrives, it'll surely come with a thousand more "fuck off" additions to this supercut. See you then?

Keep up with everything still airing on TV this year with our handy 2019 fall TV premiere schedule.

While the first X-Men movie in 2000 saw the eponymous heroes clashing with the Brotherhood of Mutants, X2: X-Men United saw them dealing with a rogue military faction led by the human William Stryker, who would stop at nothing to weaponize mutants for his own purposes. Cox only played Stryker the one time, but should the character be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cox is game to reprise the role. The actor said:

It’s been 16 years since X2: X-Men United, one of the most positively received X-Men movies, was released, but Brian Cox still looks back fondly at his time on the sequel. So rather than turn his back on the character for good, he informed Comicbook.com that he’s open to playing William Stryker again in the MCU, although obviously it would not be the same exact version from the original X-Men franchise.

For one thing, Brian Cox’s version of William Stryker died at the end of X2: X-Men United when he was crushed by the huge wall of water that burst from the dam at Alkali Lake. Granted, given how drastically the X-Men timeline changed, it’s possible Stryker never died in the revised continuity. But by all accounts, Marvel will be starting from scratch with the X-Men property, which makes sense given how hard Dark Phoenix bombed.

Of course, even though Brian Cox only played William Stryker once, the character would continue to be active within the X-Men franchise, Danny Huston played a younger version of Stryker in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, where we saw how Stryker and Logan met, and then Josh Helman took over the role for X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. Don Creech also played Stryker’s father in X-Men: First Class.

It will be a while before the X-Men are incorporated into the MCU, but once they are, it’s certainly possible that William Stryker could be a villain for them to go up against. At first, you might think that Cox’s chances of playing Stryker are slim or non-existent given that Marvel mainly picks new talent to portray new versions of characters.

However, as we saw with Spider-Man: Far From Home, the MCU has now opened the door to actors who’ve played a comic book movie role in the past to play that role again in this franchise. That might only slightly improve Brian Cox’s chances of reprising William Stryker, but it’s better than nothing!

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest updates concerning the MCU. If you’re curious about what the superhero franchise has in store for Phase 4 and beyond, look through our comprehensive guide.

Game of Thrones is one of the hottest shows on television, and it's managed to attract some big names in showbiz to tackle roles over the six seasons that have aired so far. Scottish actor Brian Cox has been in just about everything over the years, but when he was offered a character early in the run of Game of Thrones, he passed it up for what must have felt like a very good reason at the time: the salary just wasn't enough to tempt him to the world of Westeros. Cox has come out and, to be expected, admitted now that he shouldn't have passed on the part.

It's hard not to feel a little bit bad for Brian Cox after he revealed to Vodzilla why he passed on Game of Thrones. If the part he was offered was a character in Season 1, he would have had no way to know that Thrones would become such a smash hit. A show that combines complicated political maneuvering with magic and mythical beasts isn't exactly a guaranteed success. For all Cox knew, he would have been agreeing to a small fee for a bizarre show that would end up going nowhere.

Obviously, Game of Thrones didn't end up going nowhere, and showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss definitely had a big budget to play with in Season 6. The sixth season was the most expensive to date for HBO, with each episode costing an average of $10 million for a total of around $100 million. If Brian Cox had signed on for Thrones earlier in the series (and if his character was still alive in Season 6), a chunk of that $100 million could have been his. Oops?

Interestingly, Brian Cox's pal and Deadwood co-star Ian McShane was able to come on Game of Thrones in Season 6 for a one-and-done appearance as an ill-fated religious leader in the Riverlands. Even if McShane cost an exorbitant fee, the show would only have had to pay him for the single episode (and whatever residuals). Perhaps Brian Cox can still turn up in a similar one-off role in the future; something tells me he's not willing to go through the White Walker makeup process, but surely there will be other parts that he could potentially fill.

Of course, Brian Cox hasn't been sitting idly by while Game of Thrones gets bigger and bigger. The last couple of years alone have seen him take part in projects ranging from The Slap miniseries on NBC to the big screen venture Pixels to the feature Forsaken with Kiefer Sutherland. He's a busy guy, and at least he's able to enjoy Game of Thrones as a fan if nothing more. And we'll all be enjoying it when it returns for Season 7 next year.

Most road trip comedies and dramas these days have to push the envelope in some way to differentiate themselves from what came before. One upcoming TV movie will take things to the next level by offering up a comedic road trip involving Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. Before you can say, “Huh?” though, take a look at who’s playing the King of Pop.

That’s right. Joseph Alberic Iscariot Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, better known as Brit actor Joe Fiennes, will go through what will assumedly be a strange makeup and costume session to become Michael Jackson for the Sky Arts movie Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon. So the same guy whose breakout role was William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, and who later went on to play the reformative priest Martin Luther and the wizard Merlin, will somehow portray Jackson as he is celebrating his 30th anniversary as a solo artist. Really hoping for a Ralph Fiennes cameo as Tito Jackson, but I’ll be content if it doesn’t happen.

Penned by Bob Servant writer Neil Forsyth and to be directed by The Inbetweeners vet Ben Palmer, the film is based on what is supposedly a true story, though it mostly originated through secondhand accounts. Jackson was in New York City for anniversary concerts held at Madison Square Garden, and when the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center occurred and halted all flights out of the city, Jackson supposedly hired a car to take him, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando across the country and back to California. A brilliant plan, even if it meant having to stop at all kinds of fast food restaurants for Brando’s contender of an appetite. According to WENN, Fiennes calls it a “fun, light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek road trip of what celebrity of that kind is like,” and I’m totally down to see what the end product is like.

Taking on the role of Elizabeth Taylor is the always excellent actress Stockard Channing, which is a far more understandable casting choice than Fiennes as Jackson. Channing has been a mainstay on TV for decades, and has been quite busy in recent years with TV movies and recurring roles on The Good Wife and The Mysteries of Laura.

Meanwhile, the prolific Scottish actor Brian Cox will take on the role of Marlon Brando, which is also far less mind-numbing than Fiennes as Jackson. Cox has been busy in the past year, bouncing between the big screen for Pixels and Forsaken to the small screen for The Slap and most recently the star-studded miniseries War & Peace.

Joseph Fiennes, whose last major TV role saw him losing his virginity to a devil-possessed nun on American Horror Story: Asylum, will be seen as the inventor of the Moonwalk presumably later this year across the pond, and hopefully here in the U.S. as well, although there’s no set date on when it will premiere.

With social commentary arguably at an all-time high on social media, incidents like the NFL’s handling of Ray Rice’s domestic abuse create a never-ending stream of individuals assuring the world that their way of dealing with things would have been the perfect way. As such, the upcoming NBC miniseries The Slap is the rare narrative project that can potentially provoke the same kind of Internet discussions, since it involves a physical act between an adult and a child. We now know who the aggressor in this story will be, as Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) has signed on as one of the leads, with the Emmy-winning Brian Cox (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) also landing a major role. Get ready for some awkward conversations.

Based on the acclaimed 2011 Australian series of the same name, The Slap centers on the aftermath of the seemingly innocuous titular event, with consequences that reach far and wide. Quinto plays Harry, a mechanic and European car dealer living with his wife and 15-year-old son in Brooklyn. Harry is the kind of guy who always wants to get into a tussle, and he chooses the wrong person to mess with when he slaps another family’s horribly misbehaving son while at a party. According to Deadline, Cox will star as Manolis, the bearded patriarch of the family.

This incident, which is set off in Australian author Christos Tsiolkas’ 2008 novel by the other child antagonizing Harry’s son, tears Harry’s family apart, unearthing long-hidden secrets. As well, the violent reaction incites a lawsuit “that challenges the core American values of all who are pulled into it.” Sounds pretty serious. Drink every time someone says, “But the kid deserved it!”

Quinto and Cox join the already cast Peter Sarsgaard, who will play Harry’s cousin Hector, whose own distasteful behavior involves hitting on his wife’s receptionist, who also happens to be a teenager. Mary Louise Parker also stars as Hector’s friend Anouk, who is dating the lead actor in a TV series that she writes for. The Slap’s Americanized take was written completely by John Robin Baitz (Brothers and Sisters). The Kids are All Right director Lisa Cholodenko will take the helm for the first two episodes.

Quinto’s got a handful of interesting projects coming up, including the video game adaptation Hitman: Agent 47, Justin Kelly’s gay Christian drama Michael, and Tom Sierchio’s romantic drama The Girl Who Invented Kissing. Cox, meanwhile, is just as busy, with an upcoming slate including Alfonso Pineda Ulloa’s crime thriller The Jesuit, Jon Cassar’s western Forsaken and the high concept alien invasion comedy Pixels.

We can possibly expect to see The Slap enter NBC’s midseason lineup, so look out for more casting in the coming days. Or should I say watch out for more casting.

EA and Starbreeze Studios are enlisting high-profile actors for the voice cast of first-person shooter Syndicate. Rosario Dawson and Brian Cox will both play major characters in the game.

Dawson (Clerks II, Death Proof) will play Lily Drawl. Like the player, she's an agent employed by the syndicate EuroCorp. However, she's conflicted about her job and sympathizes with the underground resistance to the megacorporation's reign.

"I’m amazed how videogames have become so deep in story, delivering fantastic worlds and memorable characters rivaling big Hollywood films," said Dawson. "I was excited when EA approached me to play Lily Drawl in Syndicate. She’s an interesting and strong female character. How cool is it to play the mastermind who designed the military chip inside the player’s head!"

Cox, who appeared in X-2: X-Men United and The Bourne Supremacy among many others, portrays Jack Denham in the game. Denham is said to be the ruthless EuroCorp executive described as the "power behind the boardroom throne." I'm gonna guess he's a bad guy.

Michael Wincott (Alien: Resurrection, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) was also confirmed for the voice cast. He plays a seasoned EuroCorp agent. Considering he mostly plays villains in films and video games (he was the Prophet of Truth in Halo 2), it's safe to assume he's not your BFF in this game.

"Syndicate immerses players deep into a dystopian world of unscrupulous corporations and chip augmented enforcers," said Mikael Nermark, CEO of Starbreeze Studios. "These agents are the weapons of this war for market dominance and we needed strong talent to represent these intense characters. We are honored to have worked with the incredible Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox and Michael Wincott to make this world come alive."

Syndicate will be released later this month on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.