Sorry folks, but Idris Elba is probably not going to be your next James Bond. The 50-year-old British actor revealed in a new interview with The Guardian that he was “nowhere” close to replacing Daniel Craig, 55, as the iconic 007 in future movies, though he declined to reveal if he was involved in discussions about the role. “I love the Bond franchise, I’m very close to the producers,” Idris said. “We were all kind of laughing about the rumors because they are just that,” he added.
The Luther star also said, “I can’t speak for [the producers], but from my perspective, there’s never been any sort of truth to any of it. It’s a compliment, and it’s an honor, but it’s not a truth.”
Fans started campaigning for Idris to take on the role of James Bond way back in 2014, long before Daniel finished his run as the spy agent in 2021’s No Time To Die after five films. At the time, Idris tweeted that he was happy fans thought he was a good fit. “Isn’t 007 supposed to handsome? Glad you think I’ve got a shot! ” he said.
Then, in 2018, Idris had fans on edge when he shared a selfie with the words “My name’s Elba. Idris Elba,” after the famous Bond quote. He also shared an “awks” selfie of him and Daniel at an award show in 2019, clearly having fun with the rumors. However, Idris ended up shutting down the possibility of his future as James Bond in an October 2021 interview with ITV. “No I’m not going to be James Bond,” he said.
In the 60 years since James Bond hit the big screen, he’s been played by six actors: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Now that Daniel’s time as Bond is done, fans have speculated which actor could step into the role next. Recently, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 32, has become the front runner, after Puck News claimed that Aaron sat down with Bond producer Barbara Broccoli for a meeting which went well. “Aaron went for a screen test to be the next Bond in September and producers and Barbara loved him,” another insider told The Sun.