Itโs 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.
โIt is not a goal for my career,โ 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.
โI donโt think that, you know, playing Bond will satisfy some of my personal goals. It will definitely satisfy the will of a nation.โ
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โIโm not going to lie. Every corner of the world I go โ and Iโm talking about different cultures โ they always go: โBond!โ And I feel it is beyond me at this juncture. Itโs beyond me.โ
โItโs not a question of, โShould I? Do I? Will I?โ It is what the will of a nation dictates sometimes. Iโm not that guy. But in everyoneโs world, I might be. And that โ job done.โ
โBecause the truth is, you know, a lot of people are really seeing Idris playing Bond as the โalternative Bond.โ And as long as that alternative is existing, thatโs great for the growth of fucking casting.โ
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 โinformal talksโ with the studio, the latter of which indicated โthere is a role in the next Bond film for him if he wants it.โ
โHe wonโt 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,โ noted the source.
โIt is still very early days for the conversations but so far, it looks like it would be the role of a villain.โ
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For the time being, however, despite the fact weโre approaching a full year since No Time To Die hit cinemas after all those delays, veteran Bond producers Barbara Broccoli has firmly stated โnobodyโs in the the running.โ
โWeโre working out where to go with him, weโre talking that through,โ said Broccoli after being presented with her BFI Fellowships alongside half-brother and fellow producer Michael G. Wilson.
โThere isnโt a script and we canโt come up with one until we decide how weโre going to approach the next film because, really, itโs a reinvention of Bond.โ
โWeโre reinventing who he is and that takes time. Iโd say that filming is at least two years away.โ
Watch Idris Elba talking about portraying James Bond below.
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Now check out everything we know about the next James Bond โ and the next James Bond movie โ here.
