With Daniel Craig seemingly on the way out as James Bond following last year's Spectre, there's been a lot of talk lately about who will succeed him. While no official successors have been named, among the fans, there have a number of actors rumored, including Idris Elba. The Luther star has been frequently mentioned not only as a supposed candidate, but also a favorite among fans to play the British secret agent. However, Elba wants to make it clear that currently, there's nothing going on regarding him playing James Bond in the future.
When Michael Strahan (for ABC News) asked Idris Elba if there was any news on him playing James Bond in the future, Elba explicitly said that he hasn't had any discussions about him playing the spy. He said:
It is the wildest rumor in the world. There's been no talks with me and studios about any of that.
Elba then admitted that he believes he's too old to be taking on James Bond's regular antics, a.k.a. "running around in cars, ladies and martinis." Elba is turning 44 in September, and while that wouldn't make him the oldest actor to start playing Bond (that title belongs to Roger Moore), obviously he doesn't seem particularly keen on taking the role. Maybe he would change his mind if they offered him a particularly enticing deal, but right now, no one has approached him about it, and he appears to be okay with that.
Fortunately for Elba, not playing James Bond wouldn't be detrimental to his career, as he's already become a superstar over the last few years, thanks to projects like Luther, the Thor movies, Pacific Rim, Beasts of No Nation, the list goes on. 2016 alone has been a great blockbuster year for him, as he provided his voice for Zootopia,The Jungle Book and Finding Dory, as well as played Star Trek Beyond's main antagonist, Krall. Next year, he will play The Gunslinger in the Dark Tower movie and reprise the Asgardian Heimdall for Thor: Ragnarok, so he has enough on his plate to keep him busy for the near future.
Right now, the future of the James Bond franchise is shrouded in secrecy. A 25th movie supposedly entered development earlier this year, but Sam Mendes will not be directing it. Craig's recent comments suggest that he's done playing the character after four movies over nine years, but until the studio either announces his exit or reveals who will play the next version of James Bond, we're left wondering who will be holding the gun and asking for his martini shaken, not stirred, in the next movie. Aside from Idris Elba, Jamie Bell and Tom Hiddleston have been recently mentioned as potential candidates for the role.
Idris Elba will return to theaters when The Dark Tower is released on February 17, 2017, while no release date has been assigned for the next James Bond movie yet.
