Luther and Thor star Idris Elba is reportedly a strong candidate for the first non-white actor to portray iconic spy James Bond after five-time star Daniel Craig finishes his last outing in Bond 25.
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The word comes from The Equalizer II director Antonine Fuqua, who reported Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli is on the hunt for a black Bond (via Independent.co.uk).
According to Fuqua, Broccoli disclosed to him “it is time” for a POC to step into the iconic role, which has in the past been famously filled by Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. Broccoli is sure a diverse Bond “will happen eventually.”
“Idris could do it if he was in shape. You need a guy with physically strong presence. Idris has that,” Fuqua said while speaking at a presentation of new “game changer” 3D sound app SoundFi.
Elba, 45, has long been “in the running” for the role — the English actor is frequently cited as a candidate for a black Bond — but Elba, then 43, told Good Morning America in 2016 that he was “too old” for the role and waved Bond talks off as the “wildest rumor in the world.”
“If I’m really honest, man, I think I’m too old for that,” he said. “I’ be running around in cars and ladies and martinis — who wants to do that? It sounds terrible!”
He said to PEOPLE earlier this year he would be interested in having a Bond character who is someone other than a male, saying “it could be a black woman, it could be a white woman,” suggesting the franchise “do something different” with the role.
Craig returns for the newest Danny Boyle-directed 007, the currently without-a-name Bond 25, set for a late 2019 debut. A report that surfaced last summer claimed Craig would return for both 25 and 26.
Appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in 2017, Craig said of Bond 25, “I think this is it. I just want to go out on a high note. I can’t wait.”
21-year-old Spider-Man star Tom Holland has since expressed interest in one day playing James Bond, as has 35-year-old Superman star Henry Cavill, who has portrayed kick-ass secret agents in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the just-released Mission: Impossible — Fallout.
“I think Bond would be a really fun role,” Cavill told Yahoo Movies. “It’s British, it’s cool. I think now that I have my Mission: Impossible badge we can do real stunts and really amp it up as well.”
He added: “Not to say they weren’t doing real stunts — I’m just saying it would be fun for me to actually take what I’ve learnt on this and carry it through to a movie like Bond. I’d love to play a Brit — I don’t get to play a Brit very often. So yes, I would love the opportunity and if they were to ask, I would say yes.”
“These films tend to reflect the times so we always try to push the envelope a little bit. Anything is possible,” Broccoli said in December. “Right now it’s Daniel Craig, and I’m very happy with Daniel Craig, but who knows what the future will bring?”
Bond 25 opens November 8, 2019.
