Idris Elba Both Fuels and Downplays Speculation That He Will Be the Next James Bond

Is Idris Elba set to be the next James Bond? There have been rumors for years that the actor will take on the iconic 007, but the only thing that’s clear is that fans might not want to rely on Elba’s social media posts for the answer.

A pair of Elba’s recent Twitter posts have fueled speculation that the actor will be the next Bond with Elba both teasing and then downplaying the speculation. In a post early Sunday morning, Elba shared an image of himself with the caption “my name’s Elba, Idris Elba”. As fans of Bond know, that’s nearly exactly like the iconic “Bond, James Bond”.

Seems pretty direct, right? Well, Elba followed that up a few hours later with another post simply telling fans “Don’t believe the HYPE…”

So, what’s going on? That’s anyone’s guess. Last week, a report surfaced that Elba was a frontrunner for the iconic spy role that, were he cast, would make him the first non-white James Bond. According to that report, The Equalizer II director Antoine Fuqua indicated that Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli had disclosed that it was time for a non-white actor to take up the James Bond role. However, that report was soon debunked as a representative told The Hollywood Reporter that the conversation was “all made up stuff.”

A rep for Elba did not comment on the situation, but a source that is being called knowledgeable indicated that no one from Elba’s team knew of any potential deals or offers for the role. Of course, Elba’s tweets had fans shaken, not stirred in trying to figure out what’s really going on — or if the tweets mean anything special at all.

Read on to check out how fans reacted to Elba’s Twitter posts.

The next film in the Bond franchise, featuring Daniel Craig in his final outing in the James Bond role, is Bond 25, expected to hit theaters November 8, 2019.

Could it be?

It’s happening!?!

…or is it?

Don’t tease us like this

This better not interfere with ‘Luther’

We want to believe (the hype)

Actual tears