Idris Elba has definitively ruled himself out of being the next James Bond as casting gets underway, adding that he was actually not “ever” in the running for the iconic role.
Calls for the Luther star to take on the role picked up all the way back in 2015, when Daniel Craig was briefly believed to be quitting the franchise after Spectre (of course, he would ultimately return one last time for 2021’s No Time to Die).
That means Elba has put up with more than a decade of questions about his rumoured involvement in the franchise, but it sounds as if he’s now stomping out the last embers of speculation with these latest comments.
People Magazine was the latest, and perhaps last (but that seems unlikely), to ask Elba whether he could be the next 007, to which the actor responded: “My name’s not getting thrown out, no way.”
The star of Hijack and Masters of the Universe elaborated that Amazon MGM would be “going younger” with their next Bond actor, both to differentiate from Craig’s final outings and to get as many films out of the newcomer as possible.
Elba continued: “I wish them all the luck of the world. I can’t wait – it’s going to be amazing. [But] I’m honestly not in the race ever. I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”
The comment suggests that, even at the height of the speculation, Bond fans were simply barking up the wrong tree with their guesses that Elba would don the tuxedo next.
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Still, the actor said it was a “huge compliment” to be suggested for such a “coveted” role, although he acknowledged that it came at the price of being targeted by racist trolls, who viciously opposed the idea of Bond being played by a Black man.
“Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it,” he lamented.
Idris Elba in Hijack season 2. Apple TV
The personal toll of being a person of colour auditioning for Bond was recently explored by Riz Ahmed in the Prime Video comedy-drama Bait, where he plays a Pakistani-British actor in contention for the gig.
For its part, Amazon MGM Studios has stayed quiet on what it wants from the next Bond actor, simply writing in a statement that “we’re excited to share more news with 007 fans as soon as the time is right”.
Casting director Nina Gold, who has the challenging task of finding the right actor, added that she would be seeking out an individual who can “ooze sex appeal” (via Deadline).
What we do know about the as-yet-untitled Bond 26 is the behind-the-camera talent, with Dune director Denis Villeneuve and Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight attached.
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