Clarifying his position on the James Bond franchise, Idris Elba states he is not removing himself from consideration for the new 007 film because he claims he was never a candidate to start with.
The actor, who starred in The Wire and Sonic the Hedgehog, addressed fan theories regarding his potential casting as the next live-action 00 agent. He spoke to People during a recent interview. Many fans hope Amazon MGM would select him, yet the 53-year-old indicated he did not consider it a viable option for himself.
“My name’s not getting thrown out, no way,” Elba said. “They’re going younger. And I wish them all the luck of the world. I can’t wait, it’s going to be amazing.”
He added: “I’m honestly not in the race ever. I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”
Amazon is searching for the successor to James Bond. Nina Gold is reported to be the casting director, having worked on Star Wars and Game of Thrones previously. There is currently no indication of who will fill the role in the Denis Villeneuve-directed film. Elba’s name has circulated within 007 circles for over 15 years.
Despite the public demand, Elba never appeared keen on the part. He stated in 2016 that he felt too old for the character. He dismissed the rumors at the time as the wildest in the world. He explicitly said no when asked about the role just two years later.
Speaking on the Smartless podcast in 2023, he called the attention a huge compliment. However, he noted that when people focused on race, he found the entire discussion disgusting and off-putting.
Rumours resurfaced when Daniel Craig retired after No Time to Die premiered in 2021. It appears Elba wishes to move past the speculation now. This comes as he promotes his new film, Masters of the Universe.
“Masters of the Universe was my thing,” he told People. “It was something that I watched a lot as a kid.”
“To get to play Duncan and change him, make him to look like me, was a real treat. I got to be a bit comedic and big, so I went for it.”
As we await the release of the new, untitled 007 movie in cinemas, readers can find out how to watch every film in the series in order. You can also see what Spider-Man star Tom Holland said regarding casting rumours last summer.
Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images.
