According to new reports, actor Idris Elba is in talks to play none other than 007 himself, James Bond, in the next instalment in the long-running franchise..

An insider reportedly stated, "Idris has long been in talks to play a role in the next era of James Bond’s story and last year was being considered for a role as an antagonist. However, talks surrounding him playing the lead have started again as producers realized how popular he would be after carrying out secret market research. He ranked highly among the diverse group of movie buffs invited to participate in it. They didn’t want to see him as a nemesis, they want him as the hero."

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Earlier this year, Bond producer Barbara Broccoli confirmed Idris Elba was being considered for the role, following Daniel Craig's exit with No Time to Die. At the time, Broccoli said, "Well, we know Idris, we're friends with him, and he's a magnificent actor... And, you know, it's been part of the conversation, but it's always difficult to have the conversation when you have someone in the seat."

She also suggested no further discussions about the next Bond would take place until Craig's time as 007 was well and truly done. "I think we have decided that until No Time to Die has had its run and Daniel has been able to -- well, we've all been able to savor, reap the benefits of Daniel's wonderful tenure, we're not gonna think about, or talk about anybody else."

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Elba has been a popular name among fans when discussing the next Bond, with many arguing it may be time for an actor of color to take on the role. Elba himself has touched on the issue, acknowledging the debate and expressing uncertainty in being the subject of that debate.

He previously explained, "If someone said to me ‘Do you want to play James Bond?,’ I’d be like, Yeah! That’s fascinating to me. But it’s not something I’ve expressed, like, 'Yeah, I wanna be the black James Bond.'" He added, "You just get disheartened when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of my skin... And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to."

Source: The Sun, via MovieWeb