Idris Elba still ‘in the conversation’ to play James Bond, producers say
While Bond producers say Elba is still in the mix of possible contenders for the iconic 007 role, the actor has previously downplayed the idea that he would be asked to replace Daniel Craig.
Don’t count Idris Elba out from being considered as the next James Bond, even though the actor downplayed the idea in 2019 and, well, the end of Daniel Craig’s “No Time to Die” leaves open lots of questions about the future of the 007 franchise.
Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson finally confirmed that Elba’s name has been “part of the conversation” to take over the role of the infamous spy.
“Well, we know Idris — I’m friends with him and he’s a magnificent actor,” Broccoli said on Deadline’s “Crew Call” podcast last week.
“You know, it’s been part of the conversation, but it’s always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat,” Broccoli continued. “I think we have decided that until ‘No Time to Die’ has kind of had its run and Daniel has been able to — well, we’ve all been able to — reap the benefits of Daniel’s wonderful tenure, we’re not going think about or talk about anybody else, actors to play the role or storylines or anything. We just wanna live in the moment, the present.”
The idea of Elba, 49, taking over from Craig has long been driven by fans, Vanity Fair reported in 2019. A 2018 Hollywood Reporter survey also said 63 percent of Americans placed the British actor atop their wish list as the next Bond.
In that Vanity Fair story, Elba said he hasn’t been approached about playing Bond. He even doubted such casting would ever happen. He also touched on his concerns for not wanting to be the long-running franchise’s first Black 007. He said some people even told him that they couldn’t accept a black Bond.
“You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of my skin,” he told the publication.
In the same quote, Elba went on to say that landing the role would put him in a no-win situation.
“And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin?” he said. “That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.”
In an interview as far back as 2016, Elba offered another reason he might not be right for the part: He would be too old.
“If I’m really honest man, I think I’m too old for that,” said Elba, who was then 43. “Running around in cars, and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible.”
“No Time to Die” was finally released in theaters in September after being delayed by COVID-19. It was Craig’s fifth — and last — Bond movie. It also was the 25th Bond film in the series. Both Craig and the movie’s finale made it clear that it would be his last performance as Bond.
Besides Elba, speculation over Craig’s successor has long included Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy, Damien Lewis and Henry Cavill. More recent names to pop up in the debate have included Dev Patel, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Richard Madden, John Boyega, Michael Fassbender and Academy Award-winner Daniel Kaluuya.
“No Time to Die” teased the idea that Lashana Lynch would be the next 007, Esquire reported. She plays Nomi, Bond’s M16 colleague, who is assigned his 007 number after he retires, but by the end of “No Time To Die,” she’s not 007 anymore, handing Bond back his number when he returns to service. Broccoli also has made very clear that James Bond will never be a woman, Esquire added.