Idris Elba, who is back in traditional movie theaters next month with the sci-fi fantasy remake “Masters of the Universe,” has long been a fan-favorite to succeed Daniel Craig as the next James Bond actor. However, despite a near decade of him being rumored to be in the running as the next 007, the British actor has revealed that those rumblings were never accurate, although he is super flattered by the majority of fan support.
Speaking with People Magazine, Elba was quick to point out how important it usually is to be lumped into the group of potential actors in the running for Bond, but dispelled that he was ever officially in the mix (even though Sony Pictures exec Amy Pascal had name-dropped him in leaked emails). Adding that they’re now focused on a young actor for Denis Villeneuve‘s “Bond 26” (echoed by recent auditioning candidate Tom Francis, being the first real name to be up for the MI6 spy).
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“My name’s not getting thrown out, no way,” Elba told the outlet when asked about past/current Bond talk. “They’re going younger. And I wish them all the luck of the world. I can’t wait, it’s going to be amazing…I’m honestly not in the race ever. I wasn’t in the race in the first place.”
“We’re all actors, and we understand that that role is one of those sort of coveted types. It’s like being named Sexiest Man [Alive]…But being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Okay, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle,'” Elba continued. “Essentially, it was a huge compliment that every corner of the world, except for some corners, which we will not talk about [alluding to the racist weirdness from fandom and the entertainment world], were really happy about the idea that I could be considered. 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.”
These comments should also help reiterate that the likelihood of Henry Cavill, Michael Fassbender, and other actors over 40 likely won’t be in the mix either. While they haven’t auditioned like Francis, some other recent names being tossed around by outlets like Variety are folks such as Cosmo Jarvis (“Shogun,” “Warfare”), Jacob Elordi (“The Dog Stars”), and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Bullet Train,” “28 Years Later”).
Even with Elba pulling himself out as a potential Bond candidate, we could imagine a supporting role in the franchise, such as C.I.A. cohort Felix Leiter (played by Oscar-winner Jeffery Wright in the Craig era), might be an excellent part that we envision getting a spinoff down the line (that’s if Amazon MGM Studios, and producers are open to them).
After some buzzy first reactions, there is a good chance that Idris Elba (who plays Duncan/Man-at-Arms) and Travis Knight‘s “Master of the Universe” coming out on June 5 could be a crowd-pleaser and, in theory, if Marvel Studios does make a fifth “Thor” movie in the realm of Valhalla, would allow Heimdall to return.
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