Actor Brian Cox has revealed he will be the new face of Scots detective Rebus in a new online adaptation.
The Succession star told STV News that he is working closely with author Ian Rankin on the virtual play, which will be performed as part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘Scenes for Survival’ series.
“I’m working with Cora Bissett and we’re doing an Ian Rankin. I’m playing Rebus for the first time” he said in an interview with STV News.
“Ian [Rankin] has been there through it and we’ve had a couple of rehearsals. Next I need to record some stuff and send it to him.”
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It comes more than a decade after Rankin first called on Cox to play the role back in 2008.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Rankin first said: “Brian Cox could pick up the mantle. He is a fantastic actor and I like him a lot.”
“Theatre has been very affected by this pandemic”, Cox told STV. “But I love how quickly they have adapted to putting things online. A play that was recently streamed by the Public Theater [a New York City arts organisation] had 35,000 viewers, which is just phenomenal”.
Scenes for Survival will launch new pieces of work from creative talents online over the next few months.
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The initiative will also see Cora Bissett, Mark Bonnar and Alan Cumming take part, with all proceeds going to a hardship fund set up for artists and those working in the theatre industry who have been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis.
The adaptation of Rebus will stream on the National Theatre of Scotland website this May.
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