Would a redox reaction still happen between the two electrodes only connected by a wire?

The galvanic cell I'm studying has Pb as reducing agent and Cu as oxidizing agent, and as I understand it the reason that the electron flows from the Pb electrode to the Cu electrode without anyone doing anything is because it's thermodynamically favorable, ie a spontaneous reaction. Would this flow of electron still happen if I only have two electrodes only connected by a wire? This doesn't seem possible, but I'm not sure.


