It’s damn near impossible to have a conversation about the next James Bond without mentioning three fan-favourite names: Tom Hardy, Henry Cavill, and Idris Elba. But sadly, the latter has taken himself out of contention.
“It is not a goal for my career,” Idris Elba said during his recent appearance on The Shop featuring NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, entrepreneur Maverick Carter, Premier Lacrosse League Co-Founder Paul Rabil, marketing executive Paul Rivera, and for some reason, Drew Barrymore.
“I don’t think that, you know, playing Bond will satisfy some of my personal goals. It will definitely satisfy the will of a nation.”
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“I’m not going to lie. Every corner of the world I go — and I’m talking about different cultures — they always go: ‘Bond!’ And I feel it is beyond me at this juncture. It’s beyond me.”
“It’s not a question of, ‘Should I? Do I? Will I?’ It is what the will of a nation dictates sometimes. I’m not that guy. But in everyone’s world, I might be. And that – job done.”
“Because the truth is, you know, a lot of people are really seeing Idris playing Bond as the ‘alternative Bond.’ And as long as that alternative is existing, that’s great for the growth of fucking casting.”
While the dashing Mr Elba might be out of the running to become 007, there have been rumours about the Luther star entering the franchise via another route.
According to an unidentified inside source who spoke with The Sun, Idris Elba has been engaging in “informal talks” with the studio, the latter of which indicated “there is a role in the next Bond film for him if he wants it.”
“He won’t be the title character, but they do recognise the amount of pull and respect he commands, and they want to work with him on a completely original character for the next instalment,” noted the source.
“It is still very early days for the conversations but so far, it looks like it would be the role of a villain.”
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For the time being, however, despite the fact we’re approaching a full year since No Time To Die hit cinemas after all those delays, veteran Bond producers Barbara Broccoli has firmly stated “nobody’s in the the running.”
“We’re working out where to go with him, we’re talking that through,” said Broccoli after being presented with her BFI Fellowships alongside half-brother and fellow producer Michael G. Wilson.
“There isn’t a script and we can’t come up with one until we decide how we’re going to approach the next film because, really, it’s a reinvention of Bond.”
“We’re reinventing who he is and that takes time. I’d say that filming is at least two years away.”
Watch Idris Elba talking about portraying James Bond below.
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Now check out everything we know about the next James Bond – and the next James Bond movie – here.
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