Actor Brian Cox reveals his top choice for James Bond – and he's Irish
Amazon MGM Studios previously announced that Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, would write the script for the next James Bond film, with Dune's Denis Villeneuve as director.
Succession star Cox told Radio Times that the Irish actor would be a good fit because 'he's very real', adding: 'He's got no crap about him.'
Cox was speaking ahead of the upcoming second series of reality competition 007: Road To A Million, in which he returns as The Controller, a stern and sardonic taskmaster.
The Prime Video series follows eight contestants as they are dropped into the high-stakes world of James Bond and take on missions that push them to their limits, both physically and psychologically, for the chance to win £1m.
Speaking of the 007 role, Cox said: 'It's only natural that it goes through changes because we start off young and end up old.
'Is Cillian Murphy being recommended? I think that would be interesting. I like Cillian. He's very real, he's got no crap about him.'
Murphy previously played hard-drinking gang leader Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
Elsewhere in the interview, Cox described Vladimir Putin as a 'definite villain' and criticised Donald Trump's administration.
The Scottish actor, 79, said: 'There's certainly a lot of people around who I feel are villainous.
'With what's happening in Ukraine, Putin is a definite villain, for my money.
'I think some of the American behaviour has definitely been unthinking.
'What's tragic is that America was built on the notion of egalitarianism, and the present administration don't want us to be equal.'
The full interview can be read in the latest edition of Radio Times magazine.
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