Shubhabrata Dutta
Brian Cox is a recipient of not one but two Laurence Olivier awards, the highest honor in British theater given by the Society of London Theatre, for the plays ‘Rat in the Skull’ (1984) and ‘Titus Andronicus’ (1988). So, you can pretty much understand his popularity as a stage actor. But that’s only half of it. His filmography, which spans more than 4 decades, includes movies like ‘Braveheart,’ ‘Rushmore,’ ‘Succession,’ ‘Manhunter,’ ‘Coriolanus,’ ‘Deadwood,’ ‘The Minus Man,’ and ‘Nicholas and Alexandra.’
Cox also features in ‘Rob Roy,’ ‘Pope John Paul II,’ ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe,’ ‘Red,’ ‘25th Hour,’ ‘Zodiac,’ ‘The Bourne Identity,’ and ‘X2’ (the second installment of Bryan Singer’s ‘X-Men’ trilogy) to name a handful. His portrayal of self-made billionaire Logan Roy in ‘Succession’ won him a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, three Emmy award nominations, and a BAFTA Scotland nomination. And these are only some of his accolades. At the age of 77, the prolific actor is still going strong with a long list of upcoming ventures. Here they are!
1. Skelly (2023)
A coming-of-age drama movie written and directed by Matt Greene-Delanghe, ‘Skelly’ tells the story of a young boy who is sent on a journey (likely metaphorical) by his father to understand death after the passing of the latter’s father (the young boy’s grandfather). This happens as the boy and his friends put together the annual haunted house. The cast includes Brian Cox as the grandfather and Torrey DeVitto as the young boy’s mother along with Jacob Saxton, John Palladino, Andy Comeau, John Pasquale, Sarah Villegas, and Judah Abner Paul. The movie is scheduled for a 2023 release. However, a specific date is yet to be revealed.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
Kenji Kamiyama is the director of the upcoming animated movie ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.’ It is written by Jeffrey Addiss and Arty Papageorgiou, based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s acclaimed novel ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ Set 183 years before the events of the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy, the movie revolves around Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan, and her daughter Hera. When attacked by Wulf, a deadly Dunlending lord out to seek vengeance for his father’s death, Hera must lead a strong resistance if she wants to protect their fortress Hornburg AKAHornburg Helm’s Deep, their last stand, from destruction.
The voice cast of the Warner Bros. production includes Cox as Helm Hammerhand, Gaia Wise as Hera, and Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, along with Miranda Otto, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, and Jude Akuwudike. The movie is presently in its post-production stage and is slated to release on December 13, 2024.
3. The Electric State (2024)
‘The Electric State’ is a sci-fi adventure drama movie that marks the joint return of the Russo Brothers (Anthony and Joe) to the director’s chair after ‘The Gray Man’ (2022). Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely adapted the script from Simon Stålenhag’s graphic novel of the same name. The story is set in an alternate future and chronicles the journey of a teenage girl named Michelle, her companion robot (sent to her by her missing brother), and a strange drifter, across the American West in search of her younger brother. During the journey, they uncover a large conspiracy hidden beneath a world shared by humans and robots.
Keeping in mind that the Russo brothers have always given us movies that are of a grand scale, ‘The Electric State’ sounds no different. The cast includes Millie Bobby Brown as Michelle, and Chris Pratt as Keats, along with Ke Huy Quan, Brian Cox (voice), Stanley Tucci, Jason Alexander, Jenny Slate (voice), and Anthony Mackie (voice) among others. The Russo Brothers also serve as producers for the Netflix film that has completed filming and is presently in its post-production stage. It will be released in 2024, although updates about a specific release date are awaited.
4. Unsinkable (TBA)
‘Unsinkable’ is an audio production by Misha Crosby and John Mawson, the showrunner cum director duo of the project. Written by Mawson, the project was greenlit in 2020 to mark the 80th anniversary of the salvage of the British cargo ship MV San Demetrio on November 5, 1940 (World War II). The ship was set on fire by a German cruiser during the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest military campaign of the war, after which her crew abandoned her.
However, one of the three lifeboats returned after drifting for 2 days in the ocean and the 16-men crew, including Second Officer Arthur G. Hawkins and Chief Engineer Charles Pollard, re-boarded her on the dawn of November 7. They managed to put off the fire, repair the ship just enough to start the engines, and return to Ireland 7 days from where they were escorted and docked at River Clyde on November 16. Without any navigational instrument, the crew completed the 7-day journey by estimating a course based on the glimpses of the sun. The story of MV San Demetrio is considered one of the greatest maritime events that occurred during World War II.
The cast lending their voice for the production includes Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Second Officer Arthur G. Hawkins and John Malkovich as Chief Engineer Charles Pollard, along with Cox (Robert Dodds), Nathalie Emmanuel, Craig Robert Young, John Altman, Blair Redford, Harry Hamlin, and Timothy Blore. The project is currently in its post-production stage and we are yet to receive updates about a release date and a platform.
5. Little Wing (TBA)
‘Little Wing’ is a coming-of-age sports drama movie written by Academy-Award-winning nominated screenwriter John Gatins. It is based on an article of the same name written by Susan Orlean for the New Yorker magazine. It tells the story of Kaitlyn, a 13-year-old girl, who plans to steal a pigeon to solve her family’s financial issues and prevent the impending divorce of her parents. In the endeavor, she meets elderly pigeon racer Jaan with whom she forms a bond and develops a taste for the sport. The cast includes Cox as Jaan, Brooklynn Prince as Kaitlyn, Kelly Reilly as Kaitlyn’s mom Maddie, and Che Tafari as Kaitlyn’s friend Adam, along with Jeanine Jackson, Lowell Deo, Parker Hall, Ina Chang, and Peter James DeLuca. Cox also serves as an executive producer. The movie is currently filming and will arrive on Paramount+. Updates about a release date or year are awaited.
6. The Parenting (TBA)
Penned by ‘Saturday Night Live’ writer Kent Sublette and directed by Craig Johnson (‘The Skeleton Twins’), ‘The Parenting’ is an R-rated horror comedy movie. It follows a queer couple who rent a cozy countryside house to host a “meet the parents” weekend getaway only to realize that the house is haunted by a 400-year-old poltergeist (a supernatural entity that can make noises and cause other physical disturbances). How it affects their hosting is what we have to see. Needless to say, the combination of the director and the writer itself ensures that the movie will be a laughter riot (though not suitable for children). The cast of ‘The Parenting’ includes Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Edie Falco, Parker Posey, Brandon Flynn, Vivian Bang, and Kate Avallone. The Max movie is currently in its post-production stage and a release date is yet to be announced.
7. Wittgenstein’s Poker (TBA)
Based on a 2001 book of the same name by David Edmonds and John Eidinow, both BBC journalists, ‘Wittgenstein’s Poker’ is a 10-min animated short that showcases the real-life conversation/debate between philosophers Sir Karl Popper and Ludwig Wittgenstein at the Cambridge University Moral Sciences Club on October 25, 1946. British mathematician Bertrand Russell was also present at the meeting that was chaired by Wittgenstein. The latter used a fireplace poker to emphasize the points he was making, hence the name ‘Wittgenstein’s Poker.’
The cast of the short comprises Karl Markovics as Sir Karl Popper, Richard E. Grant as Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Cox as Bertrand Russell. The project has been stuck in its post-production stages since 2020 and updates about where it will be released and a release date are awaited rather patiently.
8. Glenrothan (TBA)
‘Glenrothan’ serves as the directorial debut of Brian Cox in feature films. The Lionsgate-Nevision family drama was created by Scottish actor/writer David Ashton, who also co-written it with Jeff Murphy (‘Hinterland’). The film tells the story of two brothers who reunite in the homeland after 40 years to save the family whisky distillery, the Glenrothan Distillery, in the Scottish Highlands. The last time the two spoke and saw each other was at their mother’s funeral when the younger brother left for America after a violent argument with their father.
‘Glenrothan’ is likely inspired by real-life The Glenrothes Distillery in Rothes, Scotland, which is famous for its single malt Scotch whiskey and was established in 1879 by a man named James Stuart. Other than Cox, who will also star in it, no other cast member has been revealed. The project has been in its development stage since November 2021 and further updates about its production and a potential date of release are awaited.
9. Gramercy Park (TBA)
Set in New York in 1883, ‘Gramercy Park’ is a historical series that tells the story of Kate Donovan, an Irish immigrant who takes up the profession of a prostitute to earn money and take care of her younger sister Maureen after losing their parents in an accident. Eventually, the two sisters lock away their past lives. While Kate becomes the mistress to some of Wall Street’s most influential men, Maureen too takes up a new identity and becomes a New York darling, marrying her way into one of the most influential families in America. But when Osgood Plimpton, a fixer and lawyer, finds out about the “secret” of the two sisters, their lives are threatened.
‘Gramercy Park’ is written by Janet Dulin Jones (‘What If God Were the Sun?’), and directed by Mike Newell (‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ and ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’) and Scott Winant (‘Breaking Bad‘ and ‘Fargo’). The cast includes Millie Brady, who is likely to play Kate Donovan, Gabriel Byrne as Osgood Plimpton, along with Cox and Mira Sorvino in yet-undisclosed roles. Further updates about the AMC series are awaited.
