There have been rumors flying around Idris Elba is about to replace Daniel Craig as the suave British Secret Service agent, James Bond. But the actor himself said not to believe all the hype.
For about seven years, there have been rumors that the “Luther” and “Thor” star would succeed Daniel Craig and become the first black actor to play 007. Speculation recently began again, and Elba decided to play into the hopeful theories by posting on social media.
“My name’s Elba, Idris Elba,” he tweeted out on Aug. 12, leaving fans shaken and stirred. Fans have long wanted to see a man of color take on the iconic role of 007 and have pushed for Elba to be cast for the part. However, just hours later, Elba later tweeted a photo of the rap group Public Enemy as well as a lyric from one of their songs: “Don’t believe the HYPE…”
The tweets came days after UK publication The Daily Star reported that Bond producer Barbara Broccoli told director Antoine Fuqua “it is time” to bring some diversity to the famous spy and have Bond be played by a black actor. The publication also reported that Fuqua left open the possibility for Elba to play the starring role of James Bond.
While no one has confirmed this publicity as of yet, Elba himself has previously said he is open to playing the role.
The idea of having Elba or another non-white performer play the role of Bond has been met with both praise and criticism. Pierce Brosnan, who played the spy in four films before passing the keys to over to Craig, said 2015 that he thought Elba would make a good Bond. Rush Limbaugh, an American radio talk show host and conservative political commentator, however, seemed appalled by the idea, saying in 2014 that Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series of spy novels, conceptualized Bind to be white and Scottish.
Whether Elba becomes the new 007 or not, the actor wants to be more than just the first Black James Bond. In 2011, Elba told NPR, “Sean Connery wasn’t the Scottish James Bond and Daniel Craig wasn’t the blue-eyed James Bond. So if I played him, I don’t want to be called the black James Bond.”
While Bond producers may have actors in mind to replace Craig in the near future, casting probably won’t take place until at least 2020. Since 2006, Craig has played 007 in four films and is due to appear in a fifth and final outing, which is set for release in 2019.
By: Maytinee Kramer
