Succession star Brian Cox to play villain in James Bond-inspired reality TV show

Succession star Brian Cox will star as the villain in a new James Bond-themed reality show.

The 76-year-old Scottish actor will play The Controller – described as the “enigmatic and mysterious character” responsible for the fate of those taking part in the new Amazon Prime Video show.

Titled 007’s Road To A Million, the unscripted series will see contestants competing in teams of two to win a prize of up to £1m.

Filmed in locations associated with the Bond franchise including the Scottish Highlands, Venice and Jamaica, contestants must correctly answer questions hidden in the different locations around the world to advance to the next challenge.

Cox is best known for playing sweary media mogul Logan Roy in the hit show Succession, which is currently airing its fourth and final season on Sky Atlantic.

Cox has previously praised the show’s British creator, Jesse Armstrong, for his willingness to end Succession “at its height” and not wait until “it goes past its sell-by date,” which he has said is a problem with many American TV shows.

The final episode of Succession will air in May. A shocking twist in episode three of the fourth series has already stunned fans.

Sharing some of the character traits of the Waystar RoyCo founder, The Controller is described as incredibly wealthy, “villainous and cultured” and a man who “revels in the increasingly difficult journeys and questions the contestants must overcome”.

Speaking about his new role, Cox said: “I got to see how ordinary people would cope with being on a James Bond adventure.

“As they travel the world to some of the most iconic Bond locations, it gets more intense and nail-biting.

“I enjoyed my role as both villain and tormentor, with licence to put the hopeful participants through the mangle.”

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007’s Road To A Million is a collaboration between a number of companies including Amazon Studios and the producers of the Bond films, Eon.

Last year Amazon bought MGM Studios, which distributes Bond, for $8.45bn (£6.79bn).

The show will launch on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories later this year.