For a while, Idris Elba was one of the hottest tickets in the competition to become the new face of the James Bond movies. Eventually though, Elba took himself out of the running, opting instead to focus on other pursuits. Of course, when you’re connected to the role of 007 in any capacity, that chatter is hard to shake the longer it runs. Which prompted the Luther star to get honest about how those casting rumors started to wear thin over time.
Appearing on the Smartless podcast to promote his new Apple TV+ series Hijack, Idris Elba laid out his experiences with being rumored to become the next 007 in sharp detail. Starting off with why it was all such a compliment in the first place, the man also known as “Big Driis” painted this very familiar picture:
The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this. I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ Because James Bond, we’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted type [of jobs.] … But being asked to be James Bond was like, ’OK you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle.’ That’s kind of one of those things that the whole world sort of has a vote in.
The world definitely seems to have its own controlling stake in putting up candidates for the next James Bond. Even after Elba removed himself from the equation, folks like Tom Hanks are still suggesting him as the next incarnation of Ian Fleming’s super spy. That’s the positive side of the coin but, as with any major casting news, there are those who aren’t so positive about the matter.
Idris Elba certainly understands this, as the negative aspects of his potential 00-status were also present in this tale as well. And unfortunately, the not-so-exciting part of being tipped as a potential James Bond came down to the matter of race. Handling the subject politely, but bluntly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe vet clarified that piece of the puzzle further as follows:
Essentially, it was a huge sort of compliment that every corner of the world, except from some corners, which we will not talk about, were really happy about the idea that I could be considered. Those that weren’t happy about the idea made the whole thing disgusting and off-putting, because it became about race. It became about nonsense, and I got the brunt of it.
Between seemingly aging out of the role, as well as dropping the pursuit himself, Idris Elba looks to be done with the legacy of James Bond. On one hand, it’s kind of bittersweet, because thinking about what might have been is always a fun exercise. Then again, Elba has proven he’s better off without 007 in recent years; the surprise that accompanies whatever he tackles next is still a great joy to his fans. A joy that is only enhanced by not having to worry about a strict timetable that comes with being locked into a major motion picture franchise.
One such joy is the new streaming series Hijack, which is currently running on Apple TV+. You can also get some use out of that Netflix subscription and catch Idris Elba in not only Luther: The Fallen Sun but also in a pretty exciting appearance in Extraction 2 alongside Chris Hemsworth. And as always, James Bond will return… just not with Mr. Elba in the role.
