Succession almost killed off Brian Cox's Logan Roy in season one

Succession writer/creator Jesse Armstrong has revealed that the show's powerful patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox) was originally planned to be killed off early in the show's run.

Armstrong revealed Logan's planned original fate in an interview with Radio Times, where he also addressed the future of the hit HBO series in a post-COVID-19 landscape.

"At one point, I did think [Logan] might expire at the end of the first season or even the first episode,” revealed Armstrong. "Though this all changed before we committed ideas to paper. And once I saw Brian, I realised how big a weight he is at the centre of our solar system. He’s great to write for."

Though he wouldn't be drawn on when the Succession cast will be back before the cameras or how COVID-19 will actually be handled, Armstrong did confirm that he hopes "to start filming in the not-too-distant future".

"We’ve carried on writing during the lockdown," he said. "But it’s still up in the air. As for coronavirus, there are things to think about, in terms of how we deal or don’t deal with it. But I’m not going to get into it in public."

For his part, actor Brian Cox has devised a neat way to incorporate the pandemic into season three plot-lines.

"Logan could be handed a mask, just look at the person giving it to him and then tell them to f**k off,” he joked. "That could be the COVID crisis dealt with for the whole season.”

Cox went on to say that he's “live in a state of ignorance” until his Succession scripts arrive, trusting the writers to keep the character as exciting as ever. "He’s a much more interesting character than, say, Donald Trump," the actor explained. "Trump is a bad part because the man has got no dimension. He’s a nitwit. A dumbass. The man’s a congenital idiot. If someone asked me to play Trump, I’d say no.

"Logan Roy, on the other hand, is a great part. And it’s true what they say, the devil does get the best tunes."

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Succession is available on Sky and NOW TV in the UK. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.