New James Bond director believes Idris would be great choice for 007
THE surprise choice for new Bond director has said it would be “pretty cool” if Idris Elba was 007.
Critically acclaimed Cary Joji Fukunaga, 41, has been brought in to overhaul Bond 25, after Danny Boyle quit.
He worked with the Luther star, 46, on Netflix’s 2015 child soldier epic Beasts of No Nation and said at the time: “That would be pretty cool to have Idris and I do a Bond film together.”
Heaping praise on the actor, he gushed: “He can drive cars really well, he’s a gear-head, and he can do the action. If they wanted him to play Bond, he could do it.”
It led to the odds of Idris replacing Daniel Craig falling to 2/1.
He had been mooted as a favourite after Bond producer
Barbara Broccoli said “it’s time” for a black 007. In contrast Fukunaga is a shock choice, with not one bet placed on him with bookies William Hill, who had Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan as favourite.
If Idris does get a licence to kill, it will not be for some time as producers yesterday pushed back Bond 25’s release from March to Valentine’s Day 2020.
American Fukunaga – whose dad was half-japanese and mum half-swedish – directed 2014 hit True Detective.
He is also behind hotly tipped Netflix series Maniac, out today. One writer on the project revealed: “He cannot stand a mediocre job. I think it’s vulgar to him.” While working together on Beasts of No Nation, both he and Idris nearly died. Idris fell off a cliff while Fukunaga stood on a black mamba snake and contracted malaria
but refused to quit.
Director Fukunaga with pal actor Idris Elba