Idris Elba recently explained that, despite rumors to the contrary, there are no plans for him to headline the James Bond franchise.

In an interview with The Guardian, Elba was asked about theories that he would succeed Daniel Craig as 007. "I love the Bond franchise, I'm very close to the producers," he answered. "We were all kind of laughing about the rumours because they are just that." Elba confirmed that he has had conversations with Eon Productions heads Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, but that the topic of him being cast as Bond wasn't a topic of discussion. "I can't speak for them, but from my perspective, there's never been any sort of truth to any of it." He added that he's flattered audiences want to see him play cinema's favorite secret agent, saying "It's a compliment and it's an honour, but it's not a truth."

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Recasting James Bond

After 16 years and five movies, Craig concluded his tenure as Bond with 2021's No Time to Die, which put a definitive end to his adventures as the double-nought spy. Since then, fans have speculated who Eon might pick to replace him, with names like Elba, Henry Cavill, Charlie Cox, Dan Stevens and Aaron Taylor-Johnson among the most popular suggestions. Taron Egerton, another fan-favorite candidate, expressed his belief that Eon has already cast an actor and are waiting to reveal who it is.

Since No Time to Die, Broccoli has repeatedly confirmed that Eon hasn't started casting a new Bond yet. She previously explained that the studio's approach will be to craft 007's next villain before casting a hero to oppose them. "We always sit down with our writers, and we start by thinking about what is the world afraid of?" she said. "We start by thinking about, 'Who's the Bond villain?' We try to focus on that as the sort of uber story, and then we want to also look at Bond's emotional life, and what he'll be facing personally that he hasn't had to deal with before." Broccoli has also said that the next Bond will be "a reinvention" and "an evolution" of the character in his next incarnation.

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Currently, Elba is promoting his return to the role of London detective John Luther in the new film Luther: The Fallen Sun. He described the character along the same lines as Bond, as well as other action franchise heroes like Mission: Impossible's Ethan Hunt and the Bourne series' Jason Bourne. "These are solitary figures that go off and have conviction and style and grace, take out the bad guy," he said. "But I think with John there's a sort of grounded relatability. That's the space where I think I can take this franchise further and deeper."

The James Bond films are available to stream on HBO Max. Luther: The Fallen Sun is streaming March 10 on Netflix.

Source: The Guardian