Now that Daniel Craig has hung up his license to kill, fans have been clamoring to hear which actor will step into the bespoke suits of James Bond. Many fans of Ian Fleming’s work have called for a man of color to play Bond, with Idris Elba’s name being thrown into the ring on more than one occasion. Could it happen? The director of King Richard certainly seems to think so.
Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of the Oscar-winning film King Richard (which can be streamed with either a Hulu subscription or HBO Max subscription), sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about his next career moves. Green revealed that he would love to direct a James Bond movie with a certain Brit in the title role. He said:
Yeah, if it has somebody that looks like me in front of it, I’m definitely open to it. I want to go into that direction and I want to be able to add value to a new Bond. I grew up watching popcorn movies, so if I could add a little something to it, that would be cool. Let’s see if Idris wants to do it. I think Dave [Simon] and George [Pelecanos] could call Idris and see what we could do.
Reinaldo Marcus Green has just come off of his latest directorial gig triumphant, as King Richard garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Will Smith taking home the Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Richard Williams. It’s not too crazy to think that Green could be offered the next Bond contract - especially since Cary Joji Fukunaga, the director of No Time to Die, got the job after a few acclaimed projects. Green also stated that he wants to emulate Fukunaga’s career, making a James Bond movie the logical next step in the progression.
And he’s clearly been scrolling through social media, if his choice of the next James Bond is any indication. Idris Elba is one of the most popular contenders for Daniel Craig’s replacement. And the fans' speculations aren’t without merit; even Bond movie producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have been open to the possibility of Idris Elba taking over as 007. Other names in the proverbial hat include Regé Jean-Page, Henry Golding and even Venom’s Tom Hardy.
Idris Elba has addressed the James Bond topic in the past, but the real decision will come down to the Hollywood gods. Luckily for fans everywhere, Reinaldo Marcus Green is gunning for the Hobbs & Shaw and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 actor to step behind the wheel of Bond’s iconic Aston Martin.
The next 007 adventure might not happen for a while, but we can always revisit the death-defying action of the past films by finding out how to watch all the James Bond movies in order. The latest entry, No Time to Die, is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
