For years, Idris Elba was one of the vital popular names floated as a possible James Bond. Nonetheless, the actor is once more distancing himself from the speculation, insisting that he isn’t going to play the enduring British spy, nor was he ever within the running to achieve this, despite multiple reports on the contrary.
Amazon MGM Studios recently began establishing auditions for the role, and weighed in on what he believes the longer term of the James Bond franchise should and shouldn’t be.
In an interview with British GQ, Idris Elba doubled down on his previous statements and set the record straight about speculations that he’s within the running to be the following James Bond. “It was never legit. It was all the time only a rumour,” the actor said, adding that he all the time thought the potential for him getting into the enduring role was “not a sensible thing.”
The rumor began sometime in 2008, after Barack Obama’s historic presidential election victory. Daniel Craig told reporters during a press conference for “Quantum of Solace, “If we are able to have a Black U.S. president, we are able to have a Black James Bond.” While Craig didn’t specifically mention Elba by name, he was at the highest of his profession at the moment.
“I believe, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big everywhere in the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, and African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like of their culture. Period,” Elba explained.
The Actor Doesn’t Want A ‘Woke’ James Bond
Elba also opined that there’s no need to alter James Bond, saying that the character is “so unrealistic.”
“A touch of reality is sweet, but let’s not attempt to make it woke. I believe you’ve got to be pure to what it’s: escapism. Don’t attempt to answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond,” he added.
Since 1962, six actors have played James Bond, the newest being Craig, who stepped into the role in 2006. Despite starring in five Bond movies, Craig has repeatedly expressed how he wanted out of the role, and even once said he’d “relatively break this glass and slash my wrists” in 2015.
Craig’s last Bond movie was in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
Rumors Were Fueled Over The Years
Speculation about Elba was further fueled in late 2014 when an email from Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Amy Pascal was leaked. In it, she reportedly wrote, “Idris must be the following Bond.”
In a Reddit AMA that very same yr, one user asked Elba whether he’d take the James Bond role if it was offered to him, to which the actor responded, “Yes, if it was offered to me, absolutely.”
Elba further fueled the hearth in 2018 when he tweeted, “My name’s Elba, Idris Elba.” Hours later, nonetheless, he told his followers, “Don’t consider the HYPE.” The tweet has since been deleted.
Idris Elba Has Repeatedly Refuted The Speculations
This isn’t the primary time Elba shut down James Bond rumors. As previously reported by The Blast, the 53-year-old “The Wire” actor said he was by no means within the running to be James Bond. He said he was never an option, ever, and the studio will probably be going for a younger actor. “I wish all of them the luck of the world, I can’t wait — it’s going to be amazing,” he said.
In 2023, Elba touched on the subject on the “SmartLess” podcast, saying that while he felt “complimented” by the rumors at first, he was later turned off by the thought due to public’s response. While some liked the thought, others took issue with the likelihood that James Bond may be played by a Black man.
“People who weren’t completely happy concerning the idea made the entire thing disgusting and off-putting, since it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it,” Elba shared.
The Next James Bond
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig were the six mainline actors who portrayed James Bond on the large screen.
In Mid-May, Amazon MGM Studios announced that it had begun auditioning actors for the following James Bond, but didn’t provide some other details. “While we don’t plan to comment on specific details in the course of the casting process, we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon because the time is true,” they stated.