Brian Cox is no stranger to blockbuster fare, though much of the acclaim he's earned has been for his work on the stage and in HBO's Succession.
In 2004, he joined the Marvel Universe as the villainous William Stryker in X2: X-Men United. Cox was praised for his performance and, for many of you, it will likely be the movie you know him best for. However, the actor isn't the biggest fan of the genre.
Appearing at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this weekend, Cox told attendees (via The Hollywood Reporter), "What’s happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do. I think cinema is in a very bad way."
"I think it’s lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that," he continued. "And I think it’s beginning to implode, actually. You’re kind of losing the plot."
He'd go on to cite Deadpool & Wolverine as an example of a movie that's "making a lot of money that’ll make everybody happy, but in terms of the work, it becomes diluted afterwards. You’re getting the same old...I mean, I’ve done those kind of [projects]."
Admitting he often forgets that he played Wolverine's creator, Cox said, "Deadpool meets the guy...Wolverine, who I created, but I’ve forgotten. Actually. When those films are on, there’s always a bit of me [as Stryker] and they never pay me any money."
"So it’s just become a party time for certain actors to do this stuff," the actor added. "When you know that Hugh Jackman can do a bit more, Ryan Reynolds...but it’s because they go down that road and it’s box office. They make a lot of money. You can’t knock it."
To say Deadpool & Wolverine was motivated by cash alone seems unfair, particularly as everyone involved has made it clear they set out to make a love letter to these characters, Fox's Marvel Universe, and the genre as a whole.
It's because of that, not just the pairing of its lead characters, that the threequel has been crowned the highest-grossing R-Rated movie ever. Ultimately, moviegoers are responsible for making it clear what they want to watch on screen, which why 2023's subpar comic book movie offerings didn't make anything close to Deadpool & Wolverine.
The perception that only superhero movies are playing in theaters is also flawed; by the time 2024 ends, we'll have only had Madame Web, Deadpool & Wolverine, Joker: Folie a Deux, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter from Marvel and DC.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.