James R | On 26, Apr 2023

Brian Cox has been cast in the Amazon James Bond series 007’s Road to a Million.

007’s Road to a Million will see contestants competing in teams of two on a global adventure to win the ultimate prize of up to £1million. Filmed in many iconic Bond locations—from the Scottish Highlands to Venice and Jamaica—this cinematic format will be a true test of intelligence, endurance, and heroism. In addition to conquering obstacles, the contestants, who will compete in two-person teams, must correctly answer questions hidden in the different locations around the world to advance to the next challenge.

Cox, fresh from Succession’s final season, will play The Controller, the enigmatic character who controls the fate of the contestants in the series. The Controller is described as “villainous and cultured, and revels in the increasingly difficult journeys and questions the contestants must overcome”. He has millions of pounds to give away — up to £1m per couple — but doesn’t make it easy, watching and controlling everything.

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 license to put the hopeful participants through the mangle.”

007’s Road to a Million is a unique collaboration between Amazon Studios, EON Productions, 72 Films, and MGM Alternative. The unscripted series will launch exclusively on Amazon Prime Video later this year.

 

Amazon greenlights James Bond competition series

25th March 2022

It’s barely a week since Amazon officially completed its merger with MGM and it’s already greenlit its first James Bond series – although it’s not quite the kind of series you might have been expecting.

It’s understood that, despite its £8.5 billion acquisition of the studio that owns 007, Amazon has no plans to be changing the Bond franchise or ordering spin-offs featuring characters within the Bond universe. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t got eyes on the spy: Amazon Studios has given the order to its first Bond-inspired show, a competition series called 007’s Road to a Million.

The eight-part contest will give a Bond-style spin on the race-around-the-world format. Produced by 72 Films (The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur) and Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, along with MGM Television, the series will see contestants go on a global adventure across a range of notable Bond film locations to win £1 million. Testing their intelligence and endurance, it will the two-person teams have to undertake physical challenges and answer hidden questions.

Variety reports that the project has been in the works at Amazon before its negotiations to acquire MGM took place.

72 Films’ Glover told the publication: “I first had this idea over three years ago. Dan Grabiner and the UK Originals team took it to a whole other level. To be working with Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and the Bond franchise is a privilege and a dream come true.”

Casting is currently underway and production will begin later this year.

Add to Watchlist